SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. Makes New $867,000 Investment in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 3,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $867,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Viking Global Investors LP bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the second quarter valued at $607,601,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 644.6% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,031,306 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $281,258,000 after acquiring an additional 892,793 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 21.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,616,305 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,258,678,000 after acquiring an additional 821,524 shares during the period. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 7.4% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,870,013 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,419,029,000 after acquiring an additional 609,489 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 31.2% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,880,652 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $512,891,000 after acquiring an additional 447,724 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $278.37 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $294.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $274.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $229.11 and a 12-month high of $307.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.77.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.69 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be issued a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 76.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. BMO Capital Markets raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $360.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 price objective on Air Products and Chemicals and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Mizuho set a $345.00 price objective on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $338.00 to $341.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares in the company, valued at $4,317,037.12. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.88% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.