Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI Makes New Investment in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Citizens Financial Group initiated a position in Air Products and Chemicals during the second quarter, purchasing 4,165 shares valued at approximately $1.22 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. Recent ratings included upgrades and price-target increases from BMO Capital Markets, Citigroup and Bernstein.
• Air Products and Chemicals beat quarterly earnings expectations with adjusted EPS of $3.47, 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 2.4% annualized yield.

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 4,165 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,221,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $360.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $315.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued 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. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and set a $373.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. One 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.76.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.9%

APD stock opened at $303.53 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The company has a market cap of $67.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,379.69, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.73. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $294.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $290.12. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $229.11 and a 52 week high of $314.87.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $3.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.20 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a positive return on equity of 16.87% and a negative net margin of 0.38%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.09 earnings per share. 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. On average, equities research analysts expect 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be given a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is presently -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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