Ally Financial Inc. Boosts Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Ally Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 28.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,100 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for 0.7% of Ally Financial Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Ally Financial Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $5,681,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on APD shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 price target on Air Products and Chemicals and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, UBS Group upped 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total transaction of $824,404.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $281.69 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $62.73 billion, a PE ratio of 29.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $229.11 and a 52-week high of $307.96. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $292.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $276.27.

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

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.61%.

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.