Clearbridge Investments LLC Purchases 1,111,378 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 70.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,694,659 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,111,378 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned approximately 1.21% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $665,609,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 1,616 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $399,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 642 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $159,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 756 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $187,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.7% during the third quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC now owns 1,085 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $296,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Essex Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% during the third quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,239 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,156,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on APD. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.12.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total transaction of $824,404.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 14,212 shares in the company, valued at $4,317,037.12. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.88% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of APD stock opened at $282.74 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $229.11 and a 12-month high of $307.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $293.91 and its 200 day moving average is $275.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.74.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.14. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The company had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.69 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.81 per share. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 76.61%.

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.