River Road Asset Management LLC Buys Shares of 43,085 Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• River Road Asset Management opened a new position in Air Products and Chemicals, buying 43,085 shares valued at about $10.64 million in the fourth quarter.
• Several other institutional investors also increased or initiated stakes in APD, and the stock remains heavily owned by institutions and hedge funds at 81.66%.
• Analysts are generally bullish: APD has a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $323.12, while the company also reported stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings and revenue.

River Road Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 43,085 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $10,643,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of APD. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 14.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $945,000 after purchasing an additional 412 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $245,000. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 197.6% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 281,861 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $79,498,000 after purchasing an additional 187,142 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.1% during the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 103,777 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $29,271,000 after buying an additional 2,171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 52.5% during the second quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,474 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,873,000 after buying an additional 2,229 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on APD. Weiss Ratings raised Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $360.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 target price on Air Products and Chemicals and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $323.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $280.05 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The company has a market capitalization of $62.36 billion, a PE ratio of 29.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.74. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $229.11 and a one year high of $307.96. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $291.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $277.04.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.06 by $0.14. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 16.91%.The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.69 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $1.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.61%.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were 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 directly owned 14,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,317,037.12. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.88% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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