Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Longfellow Investment Management increased its Air Products and Chemicals stake by 256.5% in the fourth quarter, ending with 9,411 shares valued at about $2.33 million.
• Air Products and Chemicals reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $3.20 beating estimates and revenue of $3.17 billion rising 8.8% year over year.
• Analysts remain generally positive on APD, with a Moderate Buy consensus and a $323.12 average price target, while the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share.

Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 256.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,411 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 6,771 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals comprises approximately 0.5% of Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,325,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on APD shares. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $360.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Mizuho set a $345.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $323.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

APD stock opened at $282.74 on Friday. 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 market cap of $62.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.92, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $293.91 and a 200 day moving average of $275.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.21.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) 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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 earnings per share. Air Products and Chemicals's 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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $1.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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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