HighTower Advisors LLC Sells 20,272 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 7.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 20,272 shares and leaving it with 266,873 shares worth about $65.9 million.
• Air Products and Chemicals reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $3.20 versus estimates of $3.06 and revenue of $3.17 billion, up 8.8% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share, payable Aug. 10, implying a 2.5% yield and a 76.61% payout ratio.

HighTower Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 266,873 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 20,272 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC owned about 0.12% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $65,923,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of APD. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 3,233.3% during the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth about $34,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on APD shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $338.00 to $341.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Mizuho set a $345.00 price objective on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, May 1st. 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, Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 price objective on Air Products and Chemicals and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. One equities research 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $323.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $288.95 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $293.85 and a 200-day moving average of $272.88. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $229.11 and a 1-year high of $307.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The company has a market cap of $64.34 billion, a PE ratio of 30.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.77.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.69 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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, equities research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be paid a $1.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.61%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the firm'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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,317,037.12. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.88% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Profile

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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