Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD Shares Acquired by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 23.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 201,758 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 38,262 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC owned 0.09% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $56,908,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 20.9% during the 1st quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,603 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $473,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 12.2% during the second quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 10,815 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,050,000 after buying an additional 1,180 shares during the period. Chapin Davis Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 16.1% during the second quarter. Chapin Davis Inc. now owns 11,157 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,147,000 after buying an additional 1,551 shares during the period. Revisor Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 110.4% during the second quarter. Revisor Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,265 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $966,000 after buying an additional 1,713 shares during the period. Finally, Norden Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 167.3% during the second quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 5,800 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,636,000 after buying an additional 3,630 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $335.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Argus upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $325.00 to $308.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $330.00.

Insider Activity

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

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD opened at $257.28 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $284.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $280.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The company has a market capitalization of $57.26 billion, a PE ratio of 37.02, a P/E/G ratio of 5.33 and a beta of 0.83. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.69 and a 52-week high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 12.86% and a return on equity of 15.11%. The business’s revenue was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $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. Equities research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 103.02%.

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.