Voya Investment Management LLC Purchases 14,949 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Voya Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.4%, owning 454,983 shares worth approximately $134.2 million as of the end of the last quarter.
• Air Products and Chemicals reported a Q3 earnings per share (EPS) of $3.09, surpassing the estimated $2.99, with revenues reaching $3.02 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.79 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 2.4% and an unusually high dividend payout ratio of 103.02%.

Voya Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 3.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 454,983 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 14,949 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.20% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $134,184,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 20.9% during the first quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,603 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $473,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 8.0% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,238 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,250,000 after buying an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 40.8% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 18,796 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $5,543,000 after buying an additional 5,445 shares in the last quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 251.4% in the first quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC now owns 311,668 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $91,917,000 after buying an additional 222,980 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Carderock Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.2% in the first quarter. Carderock Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,461 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $7,804,000 after buying an additional 1,063 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock traded up $1.63 during trading on Thursday, hitting $292.26. The company's stock had a trading volume of 211,893 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,234,896. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.12. 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 $65.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.36 and a beta of 0.82. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $291.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $283.97.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 12.86% and a return on equity of 15.11%. The company had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.20 earnings per share. Air Products and Chemicals'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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend yield of 2.4%. Air Products and Chemicals's payout ratio is currently 103.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on APD. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of 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. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, September 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $335.07.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total value of $397,344.42. Following the sale, the vice president owned 8,686 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,539,612.68. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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.