Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD Shares Sold by Securian Asset Management Inc.

Key Points

• Securian Asset Management cut its Air Products and Chemicals stake by 43.7% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 6,051 shares valued at about $1.5 million.
• Air Products beat Wall Street estimates in its latest quarter, reporting $3.20 EPS versus the expected $3.06 and revenue of $3.17 billion, up 8.8% year over year.
• The company raised its guidance and maintains a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share, which implies an annualized payout of $7.24 and a 2.4% yield.

Securian Asset Management Inc. reduced its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 43.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,051 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 4,703 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,495,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in APD. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3,233.3% in the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD stock opened at $304.63 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.43. The stock has a market cap of $67.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.77. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $290.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $270.67. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $229.11 and a 52 week high of $307.29.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.07 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.69 earnings per share. Air Products and Chemicals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.250 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.250-3.350 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be paid a $1.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is 76.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, May 4th. Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $323.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total value of $824,404.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares in the company, valued at $4,317,037.12. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Ridge Lp Mantle sold 70,175 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.21, for a total transaction of $19,944,436.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 93,499 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,573,350.79. This trade represents a 42.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.88% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.