FourThought Financial Partners LLC Trims Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• FourThought Financial Partners cut its Air Products and Chemicals stake by 9.9% in Q4, selling 4,188 shares and ending the quarter with 38,080 shares valued at about $9.4 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains constructive on APD, with analysts assigning a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $323.12; several firms recently raised targets or upgraded the stock.
• Air Products reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $3.20 versus $3.06 expected and revenue of $3.17 billion, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share payable August 10.

FourThought Financial Partners LLC lowered its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 9.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 38,080 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 4,188 shares during the period. FourThought Financial Partners LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $9,407,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of APD. Viking Global Investors LP purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 2nd quarter valued at about $607,601,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake 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 buying an additional 892,793 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew 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 grew 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. grew 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on APD shares. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $313.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $360.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Mizuho set a $345.00 target price on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 target price on Air Products and Chemicals and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $323.12.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total transaction of $824,404.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares in the company, 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 SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.88% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.0%

APD stock opened at $288.95 on Thursday. 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 $307.96. The stock has a market cap of $64.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.58, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.77. The business's 50-day moving average is $293.85 and its 200 day moving average is $272.88.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm 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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.81 per share. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is currently 76.61%.

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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