Capital International Inc. CA Purchases 57,343 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Capital International Inc. CA increased its Air Products and Chemicals stake by 44.8% in the fourth quarter, buying 57,343 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 185,237 shares worth about $45.8 million.
• Air Products and Chemicals reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $3.20 versus $3.06 estimated and revenue of $3.17 billion, up 8.8% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share, equal to an annualized yield of 2.6%, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $323.12.

Capital International Inc. CA lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 44.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 185,237 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 57,343 shares during the quarter. Capital International Inc. CA owned 0.08% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $45,757,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $1,063,906,000. Capital International Investors boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 44.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,792,580 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,160,023,000 after purchasing an additional 3,922,567 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the second quarter worth $607,601,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 644.6% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,031,306 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $281,258,000 after purchasing an additional 892,793 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 21.6% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,616,305 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,258,678,000 after acquiring an additional 821,524 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of APD stock opened at $282.74 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $229.11 and a 1 year high of $307.96. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $293.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $275.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.92, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.74.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.14. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.69 EPS. The company's revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Air Products and Chemicals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.000-13.250 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 3.250-3.350 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 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 is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is presently 76.61%.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total value of $824,404.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.88% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on APD shares. Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Mizuho set a $345.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $360.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $323.12.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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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