Franklin Resources Inc. Purchases 821,524 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 21.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,616,305 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 821,524 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 2.07% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $1,258,678,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. YANKCOM Partnership lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 2,805 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $791,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Sage Capital Advisors llc boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sage Capital Advisors llc now owns 14,930 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,072,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC now owns 1,085 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $296,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% during the 3rd 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 during the period. Finally, Cape Investment Advisory Inc. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 3,611 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,019,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, Director Ridge Lp Mantle sold 70,175 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.21, for a total transaction of $19,944,436.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 93,499 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,573,350.79. The trade was a 42.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on APD. Bank of America raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $275.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup increased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $272.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $282.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $295.88.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.3%

APD opened at $275.19 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.27 billion, a P/E ratio of -182.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.88. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $229.11 and a one year high of $304.63. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $271.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $266.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 1.23.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.12. Air Products and Chemicals had a positive return on equity of 15.77% and a negative net margin of 2.73%.The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.86 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Air Products and Chemicals has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.100 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 12.850-13.150 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.81 per share. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is -474.17%.

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.