Greenwood Capital Associates LLC Acquires New Shares in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Greenwood Capital Associates LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 3,269 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $950,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $1,063,906,000. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings 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 worth $3,160,023,000 after acquiring an additional 3,922,567 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the second quarter worth approximately $607,601,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 70.2% in the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,694,659 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $665,609,000 after buying an additional 1,111,378 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake 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 valued at $281,258,000 after purchasing an additional 892,793 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 $4,317,037.12. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.4%

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $295.43 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $229.11 and a 52 week high of $314.87. The stock has a market cap of $65.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.26, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.73. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $290.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $281.81. 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 (NYSE:APD) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.06 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $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, analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on APD shares. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $344.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. UBS Group lifted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $360.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $324.82.

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.