California Public Employees Retirement System Sells 14,023 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

California Public Employees Retirement System lowered its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 4.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 282,856 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 14,023 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $82,167,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $945,000 after buying an additional 412 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $245,000. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 197.6% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 281,861 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $79,498,000 after buying an additional 187,142 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 103,777 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $29,271,000 after acquiring an additional 2,171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 52.5% in the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,474 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,873,000 after acquiring an additional 2,229 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $295.31 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $289.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $284.01. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $229.11 and a 12 month high of $314.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.76 billion, a PE ratio of 31.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.73.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.06 by $0.14. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.69 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 76.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 14,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. This represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APD has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $342.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Citigroup upped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $326.88.

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.