Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. Takes Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Wealth Enhancement Trust Services bought a new stake of 4,559 shares in Air Products (NYSE:APD) in Q4, valued at about $1.13 million, and institutional investors now own roughly 81.66% of the company.
• Wall Street sentiment is broadly positive — the stock carries a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average target of $303.94, and several firms (including Bernstein, Jefferies and JPMorgan) have recently raised ratings or price targets.
• Air Products beat quarterly estimates (EPS $3.16 vs. $3.04; revenue $3.10B vs. $3.05B), set FY2026 guidance of $12.85–13.15 EPS, and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.81 (annual $7.24, ~2.5% yield).

Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 4,559 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,126,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rockland Trust Co. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 56,909 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $14,058,000 after buying an additional 4,319 shares during the period. Platform Technology Partners boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 683.0% during the third quarter. Platform Technology Partners now owns 7,164 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,954,000 after buying an additional 6,249 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 16.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 789,659 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $215,356,000 after acquiring an additional 111,317 shares during the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.9% in the third quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 2,299,299 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $627,065,000 after acquiring an additional 21,479 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 137,875 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $37,426,000 after acquiring an additional 4,699 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $280.00 to $310.00 in a research note on Friday, March 20th. BMO Capital Markets restated a "market perform" rating and set a $282.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $303.94.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.9%

NYSE APD opened at $291.54 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $64.91 billion, a PE ratio of -193.07, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.80. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $229.11 and a 12 month high of $301.25. The company's 50-day moving average price is $285.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $266.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a negative net margin of 2.73% and a positive return on equity of 15.77%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.86 EPS. 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 1st. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -479.47%.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, Director Ridge Lp Mantle sold 70,175 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was 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 $26,573,350.79. This trade represents a 42.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.88% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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