Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD Shares Sold by Rakuten Investment Management Inc.

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 13.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 29,277 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 4,711 shares during the quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $7,256,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 1,616 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $399,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. StoneX Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. StoneX Group Inc. now owns 2,787 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $688,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 642 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $159,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 756 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $187,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Journey Strategic Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.7% in the third quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC now owns 1,085 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $296,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 owned 14,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $315.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock opened at $280.24 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.40 billion, a PE ratio of 29.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.74. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $229.11 and a 52-week high of $307.96. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $292.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $276.73. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.69 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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, equities research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be paid a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.19%.

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.