Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Decreases Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lowered its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 52.1% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 82,672 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 89,779 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $24,238,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $1,063,906,000. Capital International Investors raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 44.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 12,792,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,160,023,000 after acquiring an additional 3,922,567 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 2nd quarter worth about $607,601,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 70.2% in the fourth quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,694,659 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $665,609,000 after acquiring an additional 1,111,378 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 644.6% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,031,306 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $281,258,000 after purchasing an additional 892,793 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Mizuho upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $342.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, July 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $358.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $315.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of 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 note on Friday, May 1st. One research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $332.76.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of APD opened at $303.42 on Thursday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $229.11 and a 1-year high of $314.87. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $292.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $288.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.57 billion, a P/E ratio of -1,379.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.73.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.34 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $3.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a negative net margin of 0.38% and a positive return on equity of 16.87%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.09 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.390-13.490 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.550-3.650 EPS. Analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $1.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently -3,290.91%.

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.