WCG Wealth Advisors LLC Buys New Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

WCG Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund purchased 12,963 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,202,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,304,678 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,509,702,000 after purchasing an additional 303,944 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 11,766,942 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,209,068,000 after purchasing an additional 272,197 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.1% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,559,492 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,607,065,000 after buying an additional 106,578 shares during the period. Dodge & Cox increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.1% during the third quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 9,004,892 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,455,814,000 after buying an additional 183,492 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 7.4% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,870,013 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,419,029,000 after buying an additional 609,489 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.3%

APD stock opened at $283.11 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.21. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $229.11 and a 1-year high of $307.96. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $294.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $275.32.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.14. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 16.91%.The company had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.07 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.69 earnings per share. Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Equities analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $1.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is 76.19%.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

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 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on APD shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $338.00 to $341.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 target price on Air Products and Chemicals and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Morgan Stanley raised 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.12.

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.