FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH Takes $217,000 Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 771 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $217,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of APD. Dodge & Cox lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 31.5% in the first quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 8,759,722 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,583,417,000 after purchasing an additional 2,096,568 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 159.2% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,725,762 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $508,962,000 after purchasing an additional 1,059,970 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 110.5% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,441,752 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $425,202,000 after purchasing an additional 756,780 shares in the last quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 251.4% in the first quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC now owns 311,668 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $91,917,000 after purchasing an additional 222,980 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth $42,661,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction of $397,344.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 8,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,539,612.68. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.41% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $270.21 on Tuesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.69 and a 52 week high of $341.14. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $289.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $282.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The stock has a market cap of $60.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.88, a PEG ratio of 5.95 and a beta of 0.82.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.10. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 12.86%.The firm had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.20 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 103.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Mizuho lifted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada assumed coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price target on the stock. Argus upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 12th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus 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.