Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Purchases New Shares in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Eurizon Capital SGR disclosed a new position in Air Products and Chemicals, buying 30,172 shares worth about $7.45 million in the fourth quarter.
• Air Products and Chemicals reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $3.20 versus $3.06 estimated and revenue of $3.17 billion versus $3.07 billion expected; revenue rose 8.8% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share, implying an annualized payout of $7.24 and a dividend yield of about 2.6%.

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 30,172 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $7,454,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of APD. Viking Global Investors LP bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 2nd quarter valued at $607,601,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 644.6% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,031,306 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $281,258,000 after acquiring an additional 892,793 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 21.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,616,305 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,258,678,000 after acquiring an additional 821,524 shares during the period. Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 7.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,870,013 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,419,029,000 after acquiring an additional 609,489 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 31.2% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,880,652 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $512,891,000 after acquiring an additional 447,724 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

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

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of APD stock opened at $278.92 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.77. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $229.11 and a twelve month high of $307.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $294.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $274.90.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is 76.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on APD shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $323.12.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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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