Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. Reduces Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 88.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 8,286 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 62,878 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,047,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rockland Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 56,909 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $14,058,000 after buying an additional 4,319 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 486,719 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $121,909,000 after buying an additional 23,760 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 16.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 789,659 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $215,356,000 after buying an additional 111,317 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 57,474 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $14,197,000 after buying an additional 5,909 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.9% during the third quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 2,299,299 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $627,065,000 after buying an additional 21,479 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of APD opened at $277.98 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $229.11 and a twelve month high of $307.96. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $292.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $276.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.90 billion, a PE ratio of 29.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.69 EPS. 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. Research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $1.81 per share. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis 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 presently 76.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on APD shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $360.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.