Virtu Financial LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Virtu Financial LLC cut its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 24.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 3,580 shares and leaving it with 11,277 shares valued at about $2.79 million.
• Air Products beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $3.20 versus $3.06 expected and revenue of $3.17 billion, while also issuing FY 2026 EPS guidance of $13.00-$13.25.
• The company continues to return cash to shareholders with a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share, equal to a 2.6% yield, even as analysts maintain a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with a $323.12 price target.

Virtu Financial LLC reduced its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 24.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,277 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 3,580 shares during the quarter. Virtu Financial LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,786,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD opened at $280.05 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $291.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $277.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.36 billion, a PE ratio of 29.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.74. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $229.11 and a one year high of $307.96.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.69 EPS. The business'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, analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company 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 yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is presently 76.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on APD. UBS Group increased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $360.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $323.12.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 14,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. This represents a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.88% of the company's stock.

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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