Farther Finance Advisors LLC Increases Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 45.3%, owning 3,582 shares worth approximately $1,010,000 as of the latest reporting period.
• Several institutional investors, including Dodge & Cox and Goldman Sachs, have also significantly raised their holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, indicating strong interest in the stock.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.79 per share, reflecting an annual yield of 2.6%, despite a dividend payout ratio exceeding 100%.

Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 45.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,582 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 1,117 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,010,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Dodge & Cox lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 31.5% in the first quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 8,759,722 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,583,417,000 after purchasing an additional 2,096,568 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.4% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,096,277 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $913,154,000 after purchasing an additional 43,695 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 159.2% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,725,762 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $508,962,000 after purchasing an additional 1,059,970 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 110.5% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,441,752 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $425,202,000 after purchasing an additional 756,780 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,307,807 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $385,698,000 after purchasing an additional 19,237 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on APD. UBS Group increased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Citigroup increased their target price 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. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, June 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $335.07.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $271.95 on Thursday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.69 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The stock's 50-day moving average is $291.01 and its 200 day moving average is $283.03. The company has a market cap of $60.52 billion, a PE ratio of 39.13, a P/E/G ratio of 6.17 and a beta of 0.82.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $3.02 billion for 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 period last year, the company earned $3.20 EPS. 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 103.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 8,686 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,539,612.68. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

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.

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