Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Purchases 34,059 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. by 15.5%, owning approximately $74 million worth of shares after acquiring additional stock in the second quarter.
• Recent analyst ratings for Air Products depict a largely positive outlook with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $335.07.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.79 per share, representing an annualized dividend yield of 2.4%, with the payout scheduled for November 10th.

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 15.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 253,869 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 34,059 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned about 0.11% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $74,089,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of APD. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 833.3% in the 1st quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 112 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Ransom Advisory Ltd acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on APD. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Argus upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $335.07.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock traded down $2.17 during trading on Monday, hitting $287.98. 834,840 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 683,487. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.47 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $291.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $283.16. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.69 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released 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. The company had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.95 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 12.86% and a return on equity of 15.11%. Air Products and Chemicals's revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.20 EPS. 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. As a group, equities analysts predict 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 103.02%.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction of $397,344.42. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 8,686 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,539,612.68. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Profile

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.