Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC Reduces Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC decreased its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 4.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,244 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 216 shares during the period. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,197,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 833.3% in the 1st quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 112 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ransom Advisory Ltd bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on APD shares. UBS Group decreased their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $354.00 to $350.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Mizuho upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $330.00.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction of $397,344.42. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 8,686 shares in the company, valued at $2,539,612.68. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $270.73 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.25 billion, a PE ratio of 38.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.63 and a beta of 0.83. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $286.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $281.39. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.69 and a 12 month high of $341.14.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.10. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 12.86%.The business had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.95 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.20 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Air Products and Chemicals has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.900-12.100 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 3.270-3.470 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.02%.

About Air Products and Chemicals

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc provides atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, equipment, and related services in the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, India, and internationally. The company produces atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, and argon; process gases, such as hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and syngas; and specialty gases for customers in various industries, including refining, chemical, manufacturing, electronics, energy production, medical, food, and metals.