Columbia Asset Management Cuts Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Columbia Asset Management lowered its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 51.8% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 860 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 925 shares during the period. Columbia Asset Management’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $243,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of APD. Dodge & Cox raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 31.5% during the first quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 8,759,722 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,583,417,000 after purchasing an additional 2,096,568 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 159.2% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,725,762 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $508,962,000 after acquiring an additional 1,059,970 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 110.5% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,441,752 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $425,202,000 after acquiring an additional 756,780 shares in the last quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 251.4% in the first quarter. Electron Capital Partners LLC now owns 311,668 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $91,917,000 after acquiring an additional 222,980 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter worth $42,661,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE APD opened at $272.82 on Wednesday. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $243.69 and a 12 month high of $341.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The company has a market capitalization of $60.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.03 and a beta of 0.82. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $288.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $282.18.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.10. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 12.86% and a return on equity of 15.11%. The company had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.20 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. 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. As a group, research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend 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%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total value of $397,344.42. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 8,686 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,539,612.68. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on APD shares. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Argus raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, June 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price target for the company. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $335.07.

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.