Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Grows Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.7% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 1,609,936 shares valued at about $467.7 million.
• Air Products and Chemicals reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.20 beating estimates and revenue of $3.17 billion topping expectations; revenue also rose 8.8% year over year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share, implying a 2.4% yield, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Moderate Buy with an average price target of $326.88.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 2.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,609,936 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 42,137 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.72% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $467,716,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 14.5% during the 4th 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 period. Bison Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth about $245,000. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 187,142 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 2,171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 52.5% in the second quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,474 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,873,000 after purchasing an additional 2,229 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total transaction of $824,404.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares in the company, valued at $4,317,037.12. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.88% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of APD opened at $296.72 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $289.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $284.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.73. 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 12-month low of $229.11 and a 12-month high of $314.87.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.69 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly 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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.22 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be issued a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho set a $345.00 target price on Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Evercore reiterated 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. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $326.88.

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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