Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Has $787,000 Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 2.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,693 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 70 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $787,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 129.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,429,147 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,574,670,000 after buying an additional 3,062,157 shares during the period. Mantle Ridge LP acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $1,191,344,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,583,156 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,039,259,000 after buying an additional 156,419 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.4% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,096,277 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $913,154,000 after buying an additional 43,695 shares during the period. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,397,210 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $695,287,000 after buying an additional 34,676 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD opened at $299.0190 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $288.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $286.34. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.69 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The company has a market cap of $66.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.02, a PEG ratio of 6.68 and a beta of 0.81.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.10. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 12.86% and a return on equity of 15.11%. The firm had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.20 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Air Products and Chemicals has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.900-12.100 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 3.270-3.470 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS 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, November 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 103.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction of $397,344.42. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 8,686 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,539,612.68. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 30th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $355.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $335.07.

Air Products and Chemicals Profile

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc provides atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, equipment, and related services in the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, India, and internationally. The company produces atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, and argon; process gases, such as hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and syngas; and specialty gases for customers in various industries, including refining, chemical, manufacturing, electronics, energy production, medical, food, and metals.