Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD Stock Purchased by Versant Capital Management Inc

Key Points

• Versant Capital Management increased its Air Products and Chemicals stake by 277.2% in the third quarter, ending with 5,216 shares valued at approximately $1.43 million.
• Institutional investors own 81.66% of APD, with major holders including State Street, BlackRock, Capital International Investors, Capital Research Global Investors and Bank of America.
• 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 2.6% yield, and analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with a $336.62 target price.

Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 277.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,216 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,833 shares during the quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,427,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 277.4% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 38,161,451 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $10,597,451,000 after purchasing an additional 28,050,956 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 2nd quarter valued at $5,370,093,000. Capital International Investors increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 44.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,792,580 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,160,023,000 after buying an additional 3,922,567 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,904,537 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,940,665,000 after buying an additional 137,595 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 14.3% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,443,531 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,290,801,000 after buying an additional 556,188 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD opened at $273.30 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $229.11 and a 52-week high of $314.87. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $296.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $293.43. The company has a market capitalization of $60.86 billion, a PE ratio of -1,242.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.76.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.47 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $3.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.09 earnings per share. 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. Equities research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st will be paid a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -3,290.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on APD shares. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $315.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $330.00 to $336.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $320.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Argus increased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $316.00 to $329.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $336.62.

About Air Products and Chemicals

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc is a global industrial gases and related equipment company headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The company supplies atmospheric gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and argon, as well as process and specialty gases including hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide and syngas.

Air Products serves customers in a range of industries, including refining, chemicals, metals, electronics, manufacturing, food and beverage, healthcare and energy. Its offerings include gases delivered through pipelines, bulk and packaged distribution, and on-site production systems, along with gas-processing equipment and technologies used in applications such as hydrogen production, natural gas liquefaction and carbon capture.

Founded in 1940, Air Products operates across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and other international markets.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding APD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report).

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.