Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD Shares Sold by Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC

Key Points

• Kestra Private Wealth Services cut its stake in Air Products by 32.1% in Q4, selling 5,336 shares and leaving it with 11,290 shares worth about $2.79 million.
• Director Ridge Lp Mantle sold 70,175 shares at an average $284.21 for roughly $19.94 million, a 42.87% reduction in their position; insiders now own 1.88% of the stock.
• Analyst sentiment is positive overall (average rating "Moderate Buy" with a mean price target of $308.78, including JPMorgan's upgrade to "overweight" with a $310 target), and the company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.81 ($7.24 annual, ~2.4% yield).

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC reduced its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 32.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,290 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 5,336 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,789,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Viking Global Investors LP acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the second quarter worth $607,601,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 644.6% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,031,306 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $281,258,000 after acquiring an additional 892,793 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 21.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,616,305 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,258,678,000 after acquiring an additional 821,524 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 7.4% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,870,013 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,419,029,000 after acquiring an additional 609,489 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 31.2% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,880,652 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $512,891,000 after acquiring an additional 447,724 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on APD. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, January 31st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their target price for the company from $280.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Friday, March 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $308.78.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Ridge Lp Mantle sold 70,175 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.21, for a total transaction of $19,944,436.75. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 93,499 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,573,350.79. This trade represents a 42.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.88% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.2%

APD stock opened at $302.82 on Thursday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $229.11 and a 52 week high of $307.29. The company has a market capitalization of $67.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -200.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.80. The firm's 50-day moving average is $288.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $268.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.12. Air Products and Chemicals had a negative net margin of 2.73% and a positive return on equity of 15.77%. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.05 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.86 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Air Products and Chemicals has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.100 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 12.850-13.150 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.04 earnings per share 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, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.81 per share. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -476.82%.

About Air Products and Chemicals

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc is a global supplier of industrial gases and related equipment and services, headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company produces and delivers atmospheric gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and argon, as well as specialty and process gases used across a wide range of industrial applications. Air Products designs, builds and operates gas production facilities, merchant distribution networks and on-site gas systems for customers that require reliable, high-purity gases and integrated supply solutions.

The company's product and service portfolio includes packaged and bulk gas supply, pipeline distribution, on-site generation, gas handling and storage equipment, and engineered systems for gas liquefaction and purification.

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