WCG Wealth Advisors LLC Makes New $3.20 Million Investment in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

WCG Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 12,963 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,202,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 17.8% in the fourth quarter. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC now owns 1,435 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $378,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the period. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 294.6% during the fourth quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC now owns 197,207 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $48,714,000 after buying an additional 147,228 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 59.2% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 57,224 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $14,135,000 after buying an additional 21,274 shares during the period. Dover Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 23.6% in the fourth quarter. Dover Advisors LLC now owns 4,643 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,147,000 after buying an additional 886 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kesler Norman & Wride LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC now owns 20,071 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,958,000 after acquiring an additional 516 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 value of $824,404.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,317,037.12. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $283.11 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $63.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $229.11 and a 1-year high of $307.96. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $294.06 and its 200 day moving average is $275.32.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.06 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.69 EPS. 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be paid a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 76.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APD has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $360.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment 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 MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $323.12.

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.