Erste Asset Management GmbH Reduces Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Erste Asset Management cut its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.6% in Q4, selling 3,963 shares and leaving it with 55,935 shares valued at about $13.8 million.
• Air Products and Chemicals reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.20 beating estimates and revenue of $3.17 billion topping forecasts; it also raised guidance for FY2026 and Q3 2026.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share, equal to an annualized $7.24 and a yield of 2.6%, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Moderate Buy.

Erste Asset Management GmbH decreased its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 6.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 55,935 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 3,963 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $13,824,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3,233.3% in the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD opened at $276.39 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.43. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $229.11 and a fifty-two week high of $307.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.25, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $293.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $275.70.

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 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 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 company posted $2.69 EPS. The firm'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. Equities research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

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 given a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 76.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 14,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,317,037.12. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.88% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on APD shares. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. 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 for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday, May 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $323.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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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