Baird Financial Group Inc. Grows Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group increased its Air Products and Chemicals stake by 39.2% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 138,740 shares valued at approximately $40.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 81.66% of the company.
• Air Products reported quarterly earnings of $3.47 per share, exceeding estimates of $3.34, while revenue rose 4.6% year over year to $3.16 billion, slightly below forecasts.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share, equivalent to a 2.5% annualized yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $336.53, above the reported share price of $295.49.

Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 39.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 138,740 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 39,070 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.06% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $40,676,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Fiduciary Financial Advisors purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. 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 stock opened at $295.49 on Thursday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $301.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $292.73. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $229.11 and a 52 week high of $314.87. The stock has a market cap of $65.80 billion, a P/E ratio of -1,343.12, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.75. 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 (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.34 by $0.13. Air Products and Chemicals had a positive return on equity of 16.87% and a negative net margin of 0.38%.The firm had revenue of $3.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.09 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.5%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -3,290.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $315.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $320.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $340.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $358.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $342.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $336.53.

Air Products and Chemicals Profile

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc is a global industrial gases and chemicals company headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1940, the company supplies atmospheric and process gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, helium, carbon monoxide and syngas, along with related equipment and technical services.

Air Products serves customers in industries such as refining, chemicals, metals, electronics, manufacturing, food and beverage, healthcare and energy. Its offerings support applications including combustion, metal fabrication, semiconductor production, food preservation, medical care and industrial processing.

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.