Fifth Third Bancorp Purchases 132,971 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 109.0% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 254,931 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 132,971 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $74,055,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of APD. Markel Group Inc. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 5.6% during the first quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 75,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $21,932,000 after acquiring an additional 4,000 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.7% in the first quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 41,016 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $11,915,000 after acquiring an additional 682 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 8.0% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 8,621 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,504,000 after acquiring an additional 640 shares during the period. Beirne Wealth Consulting Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth about $232,000. Finally, Peterson Wealth Services grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 5.8% during the first quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 8,804 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,558,000 after purchasing an additional 483 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

NYSE:APD opened at $299.54 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The company has a market capitalization of $66.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.73. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $229.11 and a 12 month high of $314.87. The business’s 50-day moving average is $289.94 and its 200 day moving average is $282.19.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 16.91%.The firm’s revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.69 earnings per share. 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 forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be given 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 is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Mizuho set a $345.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $342.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $325.82.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the business’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 sale, the chief financial officer 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

About Air Products and Chemicals

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.