Aristotle Capital Management LLC Purchases 14,262 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Aristotle Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 0.5% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,683,883 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,262 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals makes up 1.6% of Aristotle Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position. Aristotle Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $779,665,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $1,063,906,000. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in 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 valued at $3,160,023,000 after buying an additional 3,922,567 shares during the period. Viking Global Investors LP bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the second quarter worth $607,601,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 70.2% during the fourth 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 increased its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 644.6% during the third 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 acquiring an additional 892,793 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total value of $824,404.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 14,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,317,037.12. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.88% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 1.5%

NYSE:APD opened at $298.57 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $229.11 and a 1-year high of $314.87. The company has a 50-day moving average of $289.26 and a 200 day moving average of $285.45. The firm has a market cap of $66.49 billion, a PE ratio of 31.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.73.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.06 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $3.17 billion for 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last 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, research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.81 per share. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is 76.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on APD. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of 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 report on Friday, May 1st. Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 target price on Air Products and Chemicals and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $344.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. One research 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $326.88.

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.