OP Asset Management Ltd Makes New Investment in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

OP Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 22,607 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,567,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,304,678 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,509,702,000 after buying an additional 303,944 shares during the period. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 44.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,792,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,160,023,000 after buying an additional 3,922,567 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,904,537 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,940,665,000 after acquiring an additional 137,595 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,911,504 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,448,340,000 after acquiring an additional 352,012 shares during the period. Finally, Dodge & Cox grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 9,236,610 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,281,627,000 after acquiring an additional 231,718 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on APD. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price 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. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $360.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target 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. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $338.00 to $341.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

APD opened at $279.44 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $62.23 billion, a PE ratio of 29.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.74. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $290.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $277.75. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $229.11 and a 52-week high of $307.96.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.06 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 16.91%.The firm’s revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $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. On average, equities research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.23 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be given a $1.81 dividend. 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 (DPR) is currently 76.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 14,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

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.