Vest Financial LLC Buys 10,372 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 5.6% in Q4, buying 10,372 shares to own 194,855 shares worth about $48.13 million (≈0.09% of the company).
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $308.78, and several firms recently raised targets (Jefferies to $313, UBS to $307, JPMorgan to $310, Berenberg to $350).
• An insider, Director Ridge Lp Mantle, sold 70,175 shares on Feb 12 for roughly $19.94 million, reducing their stake by 42.87%; insiders now own 1.88% of the company.

Vest Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 5.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 194,855 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,372 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC owned 0.09% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $48,133,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,304,678 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $5,509,702,000 after purchasing an additional 303,944 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,766,942 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,209,068,000 after acquiring an additional 272,197 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,559,492 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,607,065,000 after acquiring an additional 106,578 shares during the period. Dodge & Cox raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 9,004,892 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,455,814,000 after acquiring an additional 183,492 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,870,013 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,419,029,000 after acquiring an additional 609,489 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $313.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $307.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $280.00 to $310.00 in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. One 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $308.78.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, Director Ridge Lp Mantle sold 70,175 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.21, for a total transaction of $19,944,436.75. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 93,499 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,573,350.79. The trade was a 42.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.88% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock opened at $302.37 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.46. The company has a market capitalization of $67.32 billion, a P/E ratio of -200.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.80. The company's 50 day moving average price is $287.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $268.18. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $229.11 and a 52 week high of $307.29.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.12. Air Products and Chemicals had a negative net margin of 2.73% and a positive return on equity of 15.77%. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.86 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Air Products and Chemicals has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.100 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 12.850-13.150 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.81 per share. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is presently -479.47%.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding APD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report).

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.