Legal & General Group Plc Has $301.80 Million Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Legal & General Group Plc trimmed its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 6.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,029,392 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 72,069 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $301,797,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 2nd quarter worth about $5,370,093,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,063,906,000. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 44.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,792,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,160,023,000 after acquiring an additional 3,922,567 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the second quarter worth approximately $607,601,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $495,201,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.8%

APD opened at $303.92 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $229.11 and a twelve month high of $314.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,381.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $296.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $291.21.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.34 by $0.13. Air Products and Chemicals had a negative net margin of 0.38% and a positive return on equity of 16.87%. The company had revenue of $3.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.20 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.09 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Air Products and Chemicals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.390-13.490 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.550-3.650 EPS. Analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently -3,290.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on APD shares. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $342.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, July 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $320.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $373.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, July 31st. 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 for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $332.76.

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.