Morningstar Investment Management LLC Purchases New Shares in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Morningstar Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,653 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $466,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 46.7% in the second quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 110 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Citizens National Bank Trust Department increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 833.3% in the first quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 112 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:APD opened at $261.79 on Wednesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $243.69 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.26 billion, a PE ratio of 37.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.41 and a beta of 0.83. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $283.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $280.28.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.10. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 12.86%.The business had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.20 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Sell-side analysts expect 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 103.02%.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on APD shares. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $354.00 to $350.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $325.00 to $308.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Argus upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 12th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on 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 analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $330.00.

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.