Appleton Partners Inc. MA Takes $2.74 Million Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Appleton Partners Inc. MA purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 9,715 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,740,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PUREfi Wealth LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 21.5% in the second quarter. PUREfi Wealth LLC now owns 1,382 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $390,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 17.3% in the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,468 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $978,000 after purchasing an additional 511 shares during the period. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.6% in the second quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 33,101 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $9,336,000 after purchasing an additional 1,442 shares during the period. Running Oak Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 13.0% in the second quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC now owns 55,891 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $15,765,000 after acquiring an additional 6,413 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Simplicity Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 128.2% in the 2nd quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 8,424 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,376,000 after purchasing an additional 4,733 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president owned 8,686 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,539,612.68. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Argus upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada started 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. Wall Street Zen raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $335.06.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD opened at $271.24 on Monday. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $287.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $281.61. The stock has a market cap of $60.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.03, a PEG ratio of 5.65 and a beta of 0.83. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $243.69 and a 52 week high of $341.14.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 103.02%.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.