Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Sells 24,594 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA cut its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 22.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 86,925 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 24,594 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $25,251,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,063,906,000. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 44.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,792,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,160,023,000 after acquiring an additional 3,922,567 shares during the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the second quarter worth about $607,601,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 70.2% in the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,694,659 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $665,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,111,378 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 644.6% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,031,306 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $281,258,000 after acquiring an additional 892,793 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on APD. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $344.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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 report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $360.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One research 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $324.82.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 4.4%

APD stock opened at $306.22 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $229.11 and a 52-week high of $307.96. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $289.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $279.18. The firm has a market cap of $68.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.40, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.73.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.06 by $0.14. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 16.91%.The business had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.69 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.23 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, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.81 per share. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 76.61%.

Air Products and Chemicals News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Air Products and Chemicals this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Air Products is exiting the LCEC project, which investors may view as a move to cut risk and refocus capital on more viable opportunities. Article: Air Products Will Not Proceed with Louisiana Clean Energy (LCEC) Project; Company Will Record Pre-Tax Charge in Fiscal Third Quarter; Finalizing Agreement with Yara for Renewable Ammonia from NEOM Green Hydrogen Project in Saudi Arabia
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s finalizing of the Yara renewable ammonia deal suggests its NEOM project remains a meaningful growth driver and could support future revenue opportunities. Article: APD Exits LCEC Project, Finalizes NEOM Green Hydrogen Deal With Yara
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are highlighting Air Products as a dividend aristocrat with ongoing growth initiatives, which reinforces the company’s defensive appeal but is not an immediate catalyst. Article: Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (APD) A Top Dividend Aristocrat Stock to Buy Amid Robust Growth Initiatives
• Negative Sentiment: The planned pre-tax charge of up to $2.9 billion could weigh on reported earnings in the near term and underscores the cost of exiting the project. Article: Air Products to exit Louisiana clean energy project; flags $2.9 billion hit

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction on 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 $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 available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals 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.