Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD Shares Sold by Rakuten Investment Management Inc.

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 13.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 29,277 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 4,711 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $7,256,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rockland Trust Co. lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 56,909 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $14,058,000 after acquiring an additional 4,319 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 486,719 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $121,909,000 after acquiring an additional 23,760 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 16.4% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 789,659 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $215,356,000 after acquiring an additional 111,317 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 57,474 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $14,197,000 after acquiring an additional 5,909 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.9% in the third quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 2,299,299 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $627,065,000 after acquiring an additional 21,479 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was 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 directly owned 14,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. This represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock opened at $280.24 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $292.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $276.73. The company has a market cap of $62.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.66, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.74. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $229.11 and a 12 month high of $307.96.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.07 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 16.91%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $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. Sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 76.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APD has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target 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. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Mizuho set a $345.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, 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 report on Friday, May 1st. 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.12.

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.