Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Boosts Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its Air Products and Chemicals stake by 1.3% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 330,673 shares valued at approximately $96.9 million. Institutional investors collectively own 81.66% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $332.76; several firms recently raised their targets or upgraded the stock to “outperform.”
• Air Products and Chemicals exceeded quarterly EPS estimates, reporting $3.47 versus the expected $3.34, while revenue rose 4.6% year over year to $3.16 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.81, representing a 2.4% annualized yield.

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 1.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 330,673 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 4,242 shares during the quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned about 0.15% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $96,947,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Fiduciary Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 318.2% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 92 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Main Street Group LTD purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Mizuho upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. BMO Capital Markets raised Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $360.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, July 10th. UBS Group upped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $330.00 to $336.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $320.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, August 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $332.76.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD opened at $307.33 on Thursday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $229.11 and a fifty-two week high of $314.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.08. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $297.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $291.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.44 billion, a P/E ratio of -1,396.95, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.73.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.47 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $3.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.09 earnings per share. The firm'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. Equities research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.45 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

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 issued a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is currently -3,290.91%.

Air Products and Chemicals Profile

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.

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