North Dakota State Investment Board Acquires Shares of 7,618 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter, acquiring 7,618 shares valued at about $1.88 million.
• Analysts remain generally positive on APD, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.12 after several firms raised their targets.
• Air Products and Chemicals reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $3.20 per share on $3.17 billion in revenue and also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share, or $7.24 annually.

North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 7,618 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,882,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter valued at about $34,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on APD shares. UBS Group raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 target price on Air Products and Chemicals and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Bank of America raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price 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. One investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $323.12.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 14,212 shares in the company, valued at $4,317,037.12. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.88% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD opened at $291.65 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $64.94 billion, a PE ratio of 30.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $293.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $272.57. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $229.11 and a 12-month high of $307.96.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.06 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion during 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%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company 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. As a group, equities analysts forecast 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $1.81 per share. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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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