Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD Stake Lowered by Geode Capital Management LLC

Geode Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 4,950,176 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 167,222 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,217,212,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 25.5% in the fourth quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,611 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,139,000 after purchasing an additional 938 shares in the last quarter. Expressive Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $215,000. Studio Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 3,011 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $744,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Malaga Cove Capital LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $323,000. Finally, Integrity Alliance LLC. bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $590,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 14,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,317,037.12. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.88% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 1.9%

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $278.37 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $61.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.21. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $229.11 and a fifty-two week high of $307.96. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $294.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $274.66.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.06 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The business’s revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.69 EPS. 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, analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 76.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on APD shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $315.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.