SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. Acquires New Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 3,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $867,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Viking Global Investors LP acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the second quarter valued at approximately $607,601,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 892,793 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 21.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,616,305 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,258,678,000 after purchasing an additional 821,524 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 7.4% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,870,013 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,419,029,000 after purchasing an additional 609,489 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 31.2% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,880,652 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $512,891,000 after purchasing an additional 447,724 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of APD stock opened at $278.37 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $229.11 and a 1 year high of $307.96. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $294.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $274.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.77. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business 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 earnings per share. Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue 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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 76.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $338.00 to $341.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $313.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday, May 4th. One equities 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.12.

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.