Lazard Asset Management LLC Makes New $1.12 Million Investment in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 3,849 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,118,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 3,233.3% during the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter worth $25,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on APD. Bank of America lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Mizuho upped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $320.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $330.00 to $336.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $332.65.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $294.61 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $289.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $287.21. The stock has a market cap of $65.61 billion, a P/E ratio of -1,339.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.73. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $229.11 and a 12-month high of $314.87.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.34 by $0.13. Air Products and Chemicals had a positive return on equity of 16.87% and a negative net margin of 0.38%.The firm had revenue of $3.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.09 earnings per share. Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Air Products and Chemicals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.390-13.490 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.550-3.650 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.4 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, November 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be issued a $1.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently -3,290.91%.

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.