Great Lakes Advisors LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Great Lakes Advisors LLC has increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, owning 290,180 shares, valued at approximately $85.27 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• The company recently reported an EPS of $3.09 for the quarter, surpassing analyst estimates, with projected FY 2025 guidance between $11.900-$12.100 EPS.
• Air Products and Chemicals announced a quarterly dividend of $1.79 per share, with an annualized yield of 2.5%, reflecting a dividend payout ratio of 103.02%.

Great Lakes Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 0.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 290,180 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,073 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC owned about 0.13% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $85,269,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dodge & Cox lifted its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Mantle Ridge LP purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth $1,191,344,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,096,277 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $913,154,000 after acquiring an additional 43,695 shares during the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,397,210 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $695,287,000 after acquiring an additional 34,676 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 159.2% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,725,762 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $508,962,000 after acquiring an additional 1,059,970 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD traded up $6.99 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $294.49. The stock had a trading volume of 716,381 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,248,133. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $291.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $284.78. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $243.69 and a 1 year high of $341.14. The stock has a market cap of $65.54 billion, a PE ratio of 42.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.41 and a beta of 0.82. 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 (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.10. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 12.86%.The company had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.20 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Equities analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is presently 103.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group lifted 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 report on Wednesday, July 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $335.07.

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 dated 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 owned 8,686 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,539,612.68. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.