Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC Takes Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Castle Rock Wealth Management bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, acquiring 6,675 shares worth about $1.65 million in the fourth quarter.
• Air Products reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $3.20 versus $3.06 expected and revenue of $3.17 billion, up 8.8% year over year.
• Analysts remain generally positive on APD, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $323.12; the company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share.

Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 6,675 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,649,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of APD. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 14.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $945,000 after acquiring an additional 412 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $245,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 197.6% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 281,861 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $79,498,000 after buying an additional 187,142 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.1% during the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 103,777 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $29,271,000 after buying an additional 2,171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 52.5% during the second quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,474 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,873,000 after buying an additional 2,229 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on APD shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $323.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE:APD opened at $306.36 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $291.86 and a 200-day moving average of $271.39. The company has a market cap of $68.22 billion, a PE ratio of 32.42, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.77. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $229.11 and a one year high of $307.96.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.14. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 16.91%.The business had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.69 earnings per share. Air Products and Chemicals's revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend 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 the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total transaction of $824,404.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,317,037.12. This represents a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.88% of the company's stock.

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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