Simmons Bank Sells 7,425 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Simmons Bank cut its Air Products and Chemicals stake by 40.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 7,425 shares and leaving it with 10,925 shares worth about $2.7 million.
• Air Products and Chemicals beat earnings and revenue estimates for the quarter, reporting $3.20 EPS on $3.17 billion in revenue, while also issuing FY 2026 EPS guidance of $13.00 to $13.25.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share, and analysts currently have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $323.12.

Simmons Bank decreased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 40.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,925 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 7,425 shares during the period. Simmons Bank's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,699,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3,233.3% during the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of APD stock opened at $306.36 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The stock has a market cap of $68.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.77. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $291.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $271.39. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $229.11 and a 1 year high of $307.96.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.07 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 16.91%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.69 earnings per share. 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, research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be paid a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is 76.61%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total value of $824,404.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.88% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on APD shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $338.00 to $341.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Mizuho set a $345.00 price objective on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $323.12.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.