Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD Shares Sold by Erste Asset Management GmbH

Erste Asset Management GmbH trimmed its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 6.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 55,935 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 3,963 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $13,824,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $63,000. HFR Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. HFR Wealth Management LLC now owns 37,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $9,140,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 70.2% in the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,694,659 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $665,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,111,378 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,904,537 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,940,665,000 after purchasing an additional 137,595 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Sarl raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 17.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Sarl now owns 10,086 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,491,000 after purchasing an additional 1,487 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owned 14,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $276.39 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $293.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $275.70. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.74.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 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 firm had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.69 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals’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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Mizuho set a $345.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $338.00 to $341.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $360.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.12.

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.