Swiss National Bank Boosts Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Swiss National Bank increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 7.1% in the first quarter, ending with 653,280 shares valued at about $189.8 million.
• Air Products beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $3.20 versus $3.06 estimated and revenue of $3.17 billion versus $3.07 billion expected, with sales up 8.8% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share, equal to an annualized $7.24 and a 2.5% yield, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus target of $326.88.

Swiss National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 7.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 653,280 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 43,400 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.29% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $189,771,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of APD. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,304,678 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $5,509,702,000 after buying an additional 303,944 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 44.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,792,580 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,160,023,000 after acquiring an additional 3,922,567 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,904,537 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,940,665,000 after acquiring an additional 137,595 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,911,504 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,448,340,000 after acquiring an additional 352,012 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dodge & Cox boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 9,236,610 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,281,627,000 after acquiring an additional 231,718 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the company'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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. This represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.88% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $295.31 on Monday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $229.11 and a 1 year high of $314.87. The firm's 50-day moving average is $289.80 and its 200 day moving average is $284.01. The stock has a market cap of $65.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.25, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.21.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released 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. The business had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 16.11%. Air Products and Chemicals's revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.69 EPS. 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.22 EPS 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, August 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be issued a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is presently 76.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on APD. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $358.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday. Mizuho set a $345.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of 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 report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $326.88.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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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