Hantz Financial Services Inc. Purchases 11,543 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 95.8% in the fourth quarter, buying 11,543 additional shares to bring its total holdings to 23,588 shares worth about $5.83 million.
• Air Products and Chemicals reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.20 beating estimates and revenue of $3.17 billion topping forecasts; revenue also rose 8.8% from a year earlier.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share, implying an annualized payout of $7.24 and a yield of about 2.5%, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Moderate Buy.

Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 95.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,588 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 11,543 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $5,827,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 756 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $187,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.7% in the third quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC now owns 1,085 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $296,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% in the third quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,239 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,156,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 1,423 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $353,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Patton Fund Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Patton Fund Management Inc. now owns 863 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $213,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the company'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 transaction of $824,404.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. This represents a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.88% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on APD shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Mizuho set a $345.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated 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. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $338.00 to $341.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $360.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $323.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $289.13 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $64.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.77. The company's 50 day moving average is $294.36 and its 200 day moving average is $273.91. 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.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter 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. Research analysts anticipate 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.81 per share. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend 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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