Strs Ohio Sells 9,934 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Strs Ohio trimmed its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 4.8% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 196,907 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 9,934 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $57,200,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3,233.3% in the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,317,037.12. This represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.88% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on APD shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $338.00 to $341.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Mizuho set a $345.00 target price on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. One 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $324.82.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 2.3%

APD opened at $313.55 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $289.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $279.68. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $229.11 and a 52 week high of $314.28. The company has a market capitalization of $69.82 billion, a PE ratio of 33.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.07 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 16.91%.The business’s revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.69 earnings per share. 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a $1.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 76.61%.

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.