Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC Makes New Investment in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC initiated a new position in Air Products and Chemicals, buying 6,845 shares valued at about $1.69 million in the fourth quarter.
• Air Products and Chemicals reported strong quarterly results, with earnings per share of $3.20 beating estimates and revenue of $3.17 billion also topping forecasts, while revenue rose 8.8% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share, which annualizes to $7.24 and yields about 2.6%; analysts currently have a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $323.12.

Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 6,845 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,691,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 466,254 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $115,224,000 after acquiring an additional 25,977 shares in the last quarter. Bayban purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Tulsa Wealth Advisors INC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $4,659,000. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, Arwa LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $383,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at $4,317,037.12. This represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.88% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $280.05 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $291.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $277.04. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $229.11 and a 52-week high of $307.96. The company has a market cap of $62.36 billion, a PE ratio of 29.63, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.74. 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 released its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.07 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.69 earnings per share. 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, analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.23 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $1.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is currently 76.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on APD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $360.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $323.12.

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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