Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD Shares Acquired by Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.

Key Points

• Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.8%, owning 74,225 shares valued at approximately $20.9 million after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares in Q2.
• The company's recent earnings report showed an EPS of $3.09, exceeding estimates, with revenue reaching $3.02 billion for the quarter.
• A quarterly dividend of $1.79 per share was announced, reflecting a 2.5% yield and a dividend payout ratio of 103.02%.

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 1.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 74,225 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares during the period. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $20,936,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 20.9% in the 1st quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,603 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $473,000 after buying an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.8% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 18,796 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $5,543,000 after buying an additional 5,445 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 8.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,238 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,250,000 after buying an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter valued at about $427,000. Finally, Electron Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 251.4% in the 1st quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC now owns 311,668 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $91,917,000 after buying an additional 222,980 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of APD traded down $2.17 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $287.98. 834,840 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 683,487. The company has a market cap of $64.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.44, a P/E/G ratio of 6.47 and a beta of 0.82. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.69 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.29. The stock's 50-day moving average is $291.56 and its 200-day moving average is $283.16.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.95 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 12.86% and a return on equity of 15.11%. The firm's revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.20 earnings per share. 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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is currently 103.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on APD shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Argus upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $335.07.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 8,686 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,539,612.68. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 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.