Silicon Valley Capital Partners Increases Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Silicon Valley Capital Partners increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 14.4%, owning 37,700 shares valued at approximately $11 million, making it the firm's 23rd largest holding.
• Analyst ratings for Air Products and Chemicals are generally positive, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target price of $335.07, as several firms, including Citigroup and UBS Group, have raised their price objectives.
• The company reported strong quarterly earnings with an EPS of $3.09, surpassing expectations, and plans to distribute a quarterly dividend of $1.79, reflecting an annualized yield of 2.5%.

Silicon Valley Capital Partners lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 14.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 37,700 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,742 shares during the period. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for about 1.4% of Silicon Valley Capital Partners' investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Silicon Valley Capital Partners' holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $11,019,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Strs Ohio bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter worth $42,661,000. Carderock Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Carderock Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,461 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $7,804,000 after acquiring an additional 1,063 shares in the last quarter. Iron Gate Global Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.4% during the first quarter. Iron Gate Global Advisors LLC now owns 53,185 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $15,685,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 9.0% in the first quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 34,405 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $10,147,000 after purchasing an additional 2,842 shares during the period. Finally, Belpointe Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.7% during the first quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 8,574 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,529,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 30th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $335.07.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

NYSE APD opened at $287.23 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.33, a PEG ratio of 6.41 and a beta of 0.82. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.69 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The business's fifty day moving average price is $291.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $284.78.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.10. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 12.86%.The company had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.20 earnings per share. Air Products and Chemicals'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 predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 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 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total value of $397,344.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 8,686 shares in the company, valued at $2,539,612.68. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.

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