Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD Shares Purchased by Wedmont Private Capital

Key Points

• Wedmont Private Capital increased its Air Products and Chemicals stake by 248.2% in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 10,433 shares valued at approximately $2.9 million. Institutional investors collectively own 81.66% of the company.
• Air Products reported quarterly earnings of $3.47 per share, exceeding estimates of $3.34, while revenue rose 4.6% year over year to $3.16 billion but fell slightly short of forecasts.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share, or $7.24 annually, representing a 2.6% yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $333.56.

Wedmont Private Capital raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 248.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,433 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,437 shares during the quarter. Wedmont Private Capital's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,903,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 277.4% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 38,161,451 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $10,597,451,000 after buying an additional 28,050,956 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 2nd quarter valued at $5,370,093,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 14.3% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,443,531 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,290,801,000 after acquiring an additional 556,188 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 326.7% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,348,573 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $927,010,000 after acquiring an additional 2,563,873 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aristotle Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.5% in the first quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 2,683,883 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $779,665,000 after purchasing an additional 14,262 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD opened at $281.47 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $229.11 and a 52-week high of $314.87. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $294.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $293.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,279.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.76.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.34 by $0.13. Air Products and Chemicals had a positive return on equity of 16.87% and a negative net margin of 0.38%. The firm had revenue of $3.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.09 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Air Products and Chemicals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.390-13.490 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.550-3.650 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be issued a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -3,290.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on APD shares. KeyCorp assumed coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Thursday, September 10th. They set a "sector weight" rating on the stock. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $336.00 to $305.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $373.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Argus lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $316.00 to $329.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $333.56.

Air Products and Chemicals Company Profile

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc is a global industrial gases and related equipment company headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company supplies atmospheric gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and argon, as well as process and specialty gases including hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide and syngas.

Air Products serves customers in a range of industries, including refining, chemicals, metals, electronics, manufacturing, food and beverage, healthcare and energy. Its offerings include gases delivered through pipelines, bulk and packaged distribution, and on-site production systems, along with gas-processing equipment and technologies used in applications such as hydrogen production, natural gas liquefaction and carbon capture.

Founded in 1940, Air Products operates across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and other international markets.

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