Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC Increases Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 7.5% in Q1, acquiring an additional 6,395 shares, bringing its total holdings to 91,878 shares valued at $27 million.
• Analysts have raised their target prices for Air Products and Chemicals, with recent estimates ranging from $290 to $355, resulting in a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a target of $335.07.
• Air Products and Chemicals announced a quarterly dividend of $1.79 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.5%, set to be paid on November 10th to investors of record by October 1st.

Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 7.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 91,878 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 6,395 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $27,097,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of APD. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 833.3% during the first quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 112 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 525.9% during the fourth quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 169 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 3,560.0% during the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 183 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APD has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen raised Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Barclays decreased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $335.07.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 2.3%

NYSE APD traded up $6.6340 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $300.1540. 291,068 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,296,887. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $288.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $287.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.69 and a 52 week high of $341.14. The stock has a market cap of $66.80 billion, a PE ratio of 43.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.52 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.20 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is 103.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.