Stonebrook Private Inc. Sells 6,000 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Stonebrook Private Inc. cut its Air Products and Chemicals stake by 64.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 6,000 shares and leaving it with 3,329 shares worth about $822,000.
• Several analysts remain positive on APD, with the stock carrying a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $323.12. Recent target increases came from RBC, Wells Fargo, and JPMorgan.
• Air Products and Chemicals reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $3.20 versus estimates of $3.06 and revenue of $3.17 billion. The company also raised guidance and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share, yielding 2.6% annually.

Stonebrook Private Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 64.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,329 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 6,000 shares during the period. Stonebrook Private Inc.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $822,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Rockland Trust Co. grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 56,909 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $14,058,000 after purchasing an additional 4,319 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 486,719 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $121,909,000 after buying an additional 23,760 shares during the period. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 16.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 789,659 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $215,356,000 after buying an additional 111,317 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 57,474 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $14,197,000 after acquiring an additional 5,909 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 2,299,299 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $627,065,000 after acquiring an additional 21,479 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $338.00 to $341.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Mizuho set a $345.00 target price on Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating 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 given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $323.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 2.1%

APD stock opened at $282.68 on Wednesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $229.11 and a twelve month high of $307.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market cap of $62.95 billion, a PE ratio of 29.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.74. The business has a 50 day moving average of $293.39 and a 200 day moving average of $275.91.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.69 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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 forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be issued a $1.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 presently 76.61%.

Insider Activity 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 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 owned 14,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,317,037.12. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.88% of the company's stock.

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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