National Pension Service Sells 167,870 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• National Pension Service cut its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 33.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 167,870 shares and leaving it with 327,998 shares worth about $81.0 million.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $3.20 versus estimates of $3.06 and revenue of $3.17 billion versus $3.07 billion, while revenue rose 8.8% year over year.
• Air Products and Chemicals also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share, and analysts currently rate the stock Moderate Buy with an average price target of $323.12.

National Pension Service trimmed its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 33.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 327,998 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 167,870 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned approximately 0.15% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $81,022,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 14.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $945,000 after acquiring an additional 412 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $245,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 197.6% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 281,861 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $79,498,000 after acquiring an additional 187,142 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 103,777 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $29,271,000 after acquiring an additional 2,171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 52.5% during the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,474 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,873,000 after acquiring an additional 2,229 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total value of $824,404.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.88% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $338.00 to $341.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings raised Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $323.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.9%

APD opened at $278.37 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $294.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $274.66. The company has a market capitalization of $61.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.46, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.77. 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 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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 16.91%.Air Products and Chemicals's quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.69 EPS. 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. Analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be issued a $1.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding APD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.