Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD Stock: Howard Capital Management LLC Raises Position

Key Points

• Howard Capital Management increased its Air Products and Chemicals position by 191.1% in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 6,384 shares valued at approximately $1.75 million. Institutional investors collectively own 81.66% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with Air Products carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $333.88, despite some recent target-price reductions.
• Air Products reported quarterly EPS of $3.47, exceeding estimates, while revenue rose 4.6% year over year to $3.16 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share, equivalent to a 2.4% annualized yield.

Howard Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 191.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,384 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,191 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,751,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Fiduciary Financial Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 318.2% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 92 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Main Street Group LTD acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter worth $27,000. Finally, MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 77.6% in the third quarter. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. now owns 103 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Argus lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $316.00 to $329.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $336.00 to $305.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $360.00 to $346.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Barclays began coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, October 12th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $353.00 price target on the stock. Finally, KeyCorp started coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. They issued a "sector weight" rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $333.88.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $299.19 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,359.98, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.76. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $229.11 and a one year high of $314.87. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $293.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $293.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 negative net margin of 0.38% and a positive return on equity of 16.87%. The business had revenue of $3.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.09 EPS. The firm'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. Sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.46 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $1.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is currently -3,290.91%.

Air Products and Chemicals Company Profile

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc is a global industrial gas and related equipment company serving customers in industries such as refining, chemicals, manufacturing, metals, electronics, food and beverage, healthcare, and energy. The company supplies atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen and argon, as well as hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, specialty gases and other industrial gases.

Air Products produces and distributes gases through pipelines, on-site facilities, bulk deliveries and packaged-gas systems.

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