California Public Employees Retirement System Boosts Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

California Public Employees Retirement System increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 298,245 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,623 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System owned about 0.13% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $81,337,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Traub Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Abound Wealth Management boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 292.3% in the third quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 102 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter worth $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on APD shares. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $282.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup increased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $272.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $255.00 price target on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Bank of America raised Air Products and Chemicals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $275.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $299.12.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, Director Ridge Lp Mantle sold 70,175 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.21, for a total transaction of $19,944,436.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 93,499 shares in the company, valued at $26,573,350.79. This trade represents a 42.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

APD stock opened at $289.39 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -191.65, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.88. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $274.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $265.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $229.11 and a 12-month high of $301.11.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.12. Air Products and Chemicals had a negative net margin of 2.73% and a positive return on equity of 15.77%. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.05 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.86 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Air Products and Chemicals has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.100 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 12.850-13.150 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be issued a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently -474.17%.

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.