Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Increases Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.2%, now holding approximately 1.4 million shares valued at $412 million.
• Air Products recently reported quarterly earnings of $3.09 per share, exceeding analysts' estimates and achieving a revenue of $3.02 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.79 per share, set to be paid on November 10th, with a current payout ratio exceeding 100% at 103.02%.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 0.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,397,274 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,475 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 0.63% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $412,019,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 1,540 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $447,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. West Branch Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 10.2% during the first quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 421 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $124,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.6% in the first quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 1,541 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $454,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.6% in the first quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,499 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $737,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stableford Capital II LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Stableford Capital II LLC now owns 3,222 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $950,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD stock traded up $1.8710 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $290.0110. The company had a trading volume of 962,374 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,311,565. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.48 and a beta of 0.81. The stock's 50-day moving average is $287.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $287.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.69 and a 52 week high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.95 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 12.86%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.20 earnings per share. Air Products and Chemicals has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.900-12.100 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 3.270-3.470 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is 103.02%.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction of $397,344.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 8,686 shares in the company, valued at $2,539,612.68. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on APD shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $335.07.

Air Products and Chemicals Company Profile

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc provides atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, equipment, and related services in the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, India, and internationally. The company produces atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, and argon; process gases, such as hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and syngas; and specialty gases for customers in various industries, including refining, chemical, manufacturing, electronics, energy production, medical, food, and metals.