Ashton Thomas Securities LLC Boosts Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 11,578 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $3,266,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 833.3% during the 1st quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 112 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ransom Advisory Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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 business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total value of $397,344.42. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 8,686 shares in the company, valued at $2,539,612.68. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $335.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Mizuho upped their target price on 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. 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, eleven have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $335.06.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD opened at $270.58 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.22 billion, a PE ratio of 38.93, a PEG ratio of 5.59 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $243.69 and a twelve month high of $341.14. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $287.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $281.91.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 12.86%.The business had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.95 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.20 EPS. The business’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. As a group, sell-side 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.02%.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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.