Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD Stock Holdings Boosted by Perpetual Ltd

Key Points

• Perpetual Ltd raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.8%, owning approximately 0.05% of the company's stock worth $33.7 million as of the end of the second quarter.
• Several hedge funds, including Brighton Jones LLC and Vident Advisory LLC, also increased their stakes, indicating strong institutional interest with 81.66% of the stock owned by institutional investors.
• Wall Street analysts are optimistic about the company, with multiple firms raising their price targets and assigning an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $335.07.

Perpetual Ltd increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 119,545 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,373 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd owned 0.05% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $33,719,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 20.9% in the first quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,603 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $473,000 after buying an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.8% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 18,796 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,543,000 after purchasing an additional 5,445 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 8.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,238 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,250,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares during the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $427,000. Finally, Electron Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 251.4% during the first quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC now owns 311,668 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $91,917,000 after acquiring an additional 222,980 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD traded down $10.40 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $277.09. The company's stock had a trading volume of 409,940 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,231,108. The company's fifty day moving average price is $291.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $283.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.29. The company has a market capitalization of $61.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.47 and a beta of 0.82. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.69 and a 52-week high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.10. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 12.86% and a return on equity of 15.11%. The business had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.95 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.20 EPS. The business'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. On average, equities analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 103.02%.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction of $397,344.42. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 8,686 shares in the company, valued at $2,539,612.68. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on APD shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Argus upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 12th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $335.07.

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.