Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD Shares Purchased by ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.

Key Points

• ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. has increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. by 4.9%, owning a total of 59,100 shares worth approximately $16.67 million.
• Air Products reported quarterly earnings of $3.09 per share, exceeding analyst expectations of $2.99, and forecasted 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.79 per share, with an ex-dividend date on October 1st, and a yield of 2.6% based on an annual payout of $7.16.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 59,100 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,774 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $16,670,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dodge & Cox raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 31.5% during the 1st quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 8,759,722 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,583,417,000 after purchasing an additional 2,096,568 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,096,277 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $913,154,000 after acquiring an additional 43,695 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 159.2% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,725,762 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $508,962,000 after acquiring an additional 1,059,970 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 110.5% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,441,752 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $425,202,000 after acquiring an additional 756,780 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,307,807 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $385,698,000 after acquiring an additional 19,237 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $271.24 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $287.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $281.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.69 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The stock has a market cap of $60.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.83.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.10. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 12.86% and a return on equity of 15.11%. The firm had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.20 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Air Products and Chemicals has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.900-12.100 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 3.270-3.470 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is 103.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on APD. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $335.00 price objective on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $335.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction of $397,344.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 8,686 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,539,612.68. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Profile

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc provides atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, equipment, and related services in the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, India, and internationally. The company produces atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, and argon; process gases, such as hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and syngas; and specialty gases for customers in various industries, including refining, chemical, manufacturing, electronics, energy production, medical, food, and metals.

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