OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp Increases Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 115.0% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 17,106 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,148 shares during the quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $4,969,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 318.2% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 92 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Main Street Group LTD purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3,233.3% in the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of APD opened at $298.57 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $289.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $285.68. The company has a market capitalization of $66.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.21. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $229.11 and a 1-year high of $314.87.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.14. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The business had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.69 earnings per share. Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.81 per share. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 76.61%.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total value of $824,404.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on APD. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets raised 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. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $342.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $326.88.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.