Markel Group Inc. Has $17.66 Million Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Markel Group Inc. grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 10.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 71,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,500 shares during the quarter. Markel Group Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $17,662,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its position 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Caitlin John LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.4%

APD stock opened at $289.13 on Friday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $229.11 and a twelve month high of $307.96. The company has a market cap of $64.38 billion, a PE ratio of 30.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.77. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $294.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $273.33. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 16.91%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $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. On average, research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.81 per share. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is presently 76.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $338.00 to $341.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.12.

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 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 approximately $4,317,037.12. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.