Exeter Financial LLC Has $2.49 Million Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Exeter Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 30.5% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 8,557 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 1,999 shares during the quarter. Exeter Financial LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,486,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $1,063,906,000. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 44.2% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the second quarter valued at $607,601,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its position 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 valued at $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 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 worth $281,258,000 after acquiring an additional 892,793 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on APD. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated 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. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $360.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Mizuho set a $345.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

APD opened at $293.00 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $65.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.01, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.74. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $229.11 and a 1 year high of $307.96. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $289.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $278.74.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued 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. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 16.91%.The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.69 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly 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. Analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.61%.

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 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

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.