Quantitative Investment Management LLC Invests $1.29 Million in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Quantitative Investment Management initiated a $1.29 million position in Air Products and Chemicals during the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 81.66% of the company, with several major firms also adding or establishing stakes.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $332.76. Recent target increases include Wells Fargo, RBC and Mizuho.
• Air Products exceeded quarterly EPS expectations, reporting $3.47 versus the $3.34 consensus, while revenue rose 4.6% year over year to $3.16 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share, equivalent to a 2.3% annualized yield.

Quantitative Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 4,398 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,289,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the second quarter worth $5,370,093,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $1,063,906,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the second quarter valued at $1,216,976,000. Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 44.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,792,580 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,160,023,000 after acquiring an additional 3,922,567 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Viking Global Investors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the second quarter valued at $607,601,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on APD shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $340.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley set a $320.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $358.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $332.76.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.6%

APD opened at $309.86 on Tuesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $229.11 and a 12 month high of $314.87. The business has a 50-day moving average of $298.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $291.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,408.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.73.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.34 by $0.13. Air Products and Chemicals had a negative net margin of 0.38% and a positive return on equity of 16.87%. The business had revenue of $3.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.20 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.09 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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, research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $1.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is currently -3,290.91%.

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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