Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Makes New $23.93 Million Investment in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought 81,616 shares of Air Products and Chemicals worth approximately $23.93 million, while institutional investors collectively own 81.66% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with the stock receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $332.76.
• Air Products beat quarterly EPS expectations with $3.47 per share, though revenue slightly missed estimates; the company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share, yielding about 2.3% annually.

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 81,616 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $23,928,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 486,719 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $121,909,000 after buying an additional 23,760 shares in the last quarter. S&CO Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,733,000. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,649,000. Staley Capital Advisers Inc. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 108.2% in the 4th quarter. Staley Capital Advisers Inc. now owns 144,032 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $35,579,000 after acquiring an additional 74,868 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 127,263 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,437,000 after acquiring an additional 11,263 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on APD. Mizuho lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $358.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $373.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $340.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and set a $320.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. One research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $332.76.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD stock opened at $308.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.92. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $229.11 and a 1 year high of $314.87. The company has a market cap of $68.65 billion, a P/E ratio of -1,401.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.73. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $298.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $291.65.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.34 by $0.13. Air Products and Chemicals had a positive return on equity of 16.87% and a negative net margin of 0.38%.The company had revenue of $3.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.09 earnings per share. Air Products and Chemicals's revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Air Products and Chemicals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.390-13.490 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.550-3.650 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be paid a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is -3,290.91%.

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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