Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp Reduces Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp lowered its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 9.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 104,078 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 11,001 shares during the quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $25,709,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Lcnb Corp lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Lcnb Corp now owns 1,078 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 264,281 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $65,283,000 after buying an additional 16,744 shares during the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 11.7% in the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,736 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,170,000 after buying an additional 497 shares during the last quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 151.1% in the fourth quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 10,272 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,537,000 after buying an additional 6,181 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 114.4% in the fourth quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc now owns 9,134 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,256,000 after buying an additional 4,874 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of APD opened at $278.37 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.99 billion, a PE ratio of 29.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.74. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $229.11 and a 1 year high of $307.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.43. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $294.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $274.78.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.69 earnings per share. 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. Analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $360.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.12.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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.