Morningstar Investment Management LLC Invests $466,000 in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Morningstar Investment Management LLC invested approximately $466,000 in Air Products and Chemicals, acquiring 1,653 shares during the second quarter.
• Multiple hedge funds have significantly increased their stakes in Air Products and Chemicals, with Dodge & Cox enhancing its position by 31.5%, and Principal Financial Group Inc. increasing its holdings by 159.2% in the first quarter.
• Analysts have mixed views on Air Products and Chemicals, with ratings ranging from a Strong Buy to a Sell, and a consensus price target of $330.00.

Morningstar Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,653 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $466,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in APD. Dodge & Cox lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 31.5% in the first quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 8,759,722 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,583,417,000 after purchasing an additional 2,096,568 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 159.2% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,725,762 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $508,962,000 after buying an additional 1,059,970 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 110.5% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,441,752 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $425,202,000 after buying an additional 756,780 shares during the last quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 251.4% in the first quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC now owns 311,668 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $91,917,000 after buying an additional 222,980 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter worth approximately $42,661,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on APD. Argus upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 12th. Mizuho increased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $335.00 price objective on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $325.00 to $308.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $330.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of APD stock opened at $261.79 on Wednesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.69 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The business's 50 day moving average is $283.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $280.28. The company has a market cap of $58.26 billion, a PE ratio of 37.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.41 and a beta of 0.83.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.10. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 12.86%.The company had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.20 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Air Products and Chemicals has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.900-12.100 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 3.270-3.470 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.02%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total value of $397,344.42. Following the sale, the vice president owned 8,686 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,539,612.68. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Profile

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc provides atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, equipment, and related services in the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, India, and internationally. The company produces atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, and argon; process gases, such as hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and syngas; and specialty gases for customers in various industries, including refining, chemical, manufacturing, electronics, energy production, medical, food, and metals.

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