Markel Group Inc. Has $17.66 Million Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Markel Group boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 10% in the fourth quarter, ending with 71,500 shares valued at about $17.66 million.
• Wall Street sentiment on APD is broadly positive but cautious: the stock carries a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $323.12, while several firms recently raised targets and maintained hold/neutral ratings.
• Air Products and Chemicals recently beat earnings and revenue estimates, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share payable August 10, implying an annualized yield of about 2.5%.

Markel Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 10.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 71,500 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,500 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $17,662,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings 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 worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth $30,000. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth $34,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on APD shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $323.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Air Products and Chemicals 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 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. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.88% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

NYSE APD opened at $289.13 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $229.11 and a fifty-two week high of $307.96. The stock's 50-day moving average is $294.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $273.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The firm has a market cap of $64.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.77.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.14. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 16.91%.The company had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.69 earnings per share. The business's revenue 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. On average, analysts anticipate 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 business 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.61%.

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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