Fifth Third Bancorp Increases Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 109.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 254,931 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 132,971 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp owned 0.11% of Air Products and Chemicals worth $74,055,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,063,906,000. Capital International Investors grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 44.2% in 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 purchasing an additional 3,922,567 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $607,601,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 70.2% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,694,659 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $665,609,000 after buying an additional 1,111,378 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 644.6% during 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 buying an additional 892,793 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on APD shares. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $360.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price 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. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $325.82.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $299.54 on Monday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $289.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $282.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.70 billion, a PE 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 1-year low of $229.11 and a 1-year high of $314.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.21.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $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. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.81 per share. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 76.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total value of $824,404.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 14,212 shares in the company, valued at $4,317,037.12. This represents a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.88% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.