Littlejohn Financial Services Inc. Increases Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Littlejohn Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 11.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,191 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 426 shares during the quarter. Littlejohn Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,182,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 833.3% during the first quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 112 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ransom Advisory Ltd purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth about $37,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total value 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.7%

NYSE APD opened at $271.95 on Thursday. 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. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $291.01 and a 200-day moving average of $283.03. The firm has a market cap of $60.52 billion, a PE ratio of 39.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.17 and a beta of 0.82.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.10. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 12.86%.The company had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.20 EPS. 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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 103.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Mizuho boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $290.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Argus upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $335.07.

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.