Howe & Rusling Inc. Purchases 5,031 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Howe & Rusling Inc. raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 27.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 23,105 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 5,031 shares during the quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $6,712,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in 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 valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter worth $25,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was 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 $4,317,037.12. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.88% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE:APD opened at $313.55 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $69.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.18, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.73. 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 12 month low of $229.11 and a 12 month high of $314.28. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $290.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $279.91.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released 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 return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 16.91%.The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.69 EPS. The firm’s revenue 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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be issued a $1.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on APD shares. UBS Group raised their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Bank of America increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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. Finally, Mizuho set a $345.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, May 1st. One equities 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $324.82.

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.