PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators Invests $19.36 Million in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators opened a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter, buying 78,354 shares valued at about $19.36 million.
• Several other institutional investors also increased their stakes, and overall institutional ownership stands at 81.66% of the company.
• Air Products and Chemicals reported better-than-expected quarterly results and boosted its outlook, while analysts currently rate the stock Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $323.12.

PBU The Pension Fund of Early Childhood & Youth Educators bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 78,354 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $19,355,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 47.2% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 6,099 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,507,000 after purchasing an additional 1,957 shares during the last quarter. Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $300,000. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 310.6% in the 4th quarter. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 4,147 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,024,000 after buying an additional 3,137 shares during the period. Argent Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Argent Advisors Inc. now owns 3,979 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $983,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the period. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 113.5% in the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 6,136 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,516,000 after buying an additional 3,262 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Mizuho set a $345.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company 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 issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $323.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the business'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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 14,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.88% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.0%

APD opened at $282.74 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $229.11 and a twelve month high of $307.96. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $293.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $275.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.74.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 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 business's quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm 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. Analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm 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 of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is presently 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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