Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Boosts Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 6.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 264,281 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,744 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $65,283,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rockland Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 56,909 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $14,058,000 after purchasing an additional 4,319 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 486,719 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $121,909,000 after purchasing an additional 23,760 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 16.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 789,659 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $215,356,000 after purchasing an additional 111,317 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 11.5% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 57,474 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $14,197,000 after purchasing an additional 5,909 shares during the period. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 2,299,299 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $627,065,000 after purchasing an additional 21,479 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was 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 directly owned 14,212 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. The trade was a 16.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD opened at $278.37 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $294.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $274.78. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $229.11 and a 52-week high of $307.96. The firm has a market cap of $61.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.46, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.74. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.69 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals’s quarterly 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. Analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be issued a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 76.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APD has been the subject of a number of research reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Mizuho set a $345.00 target price on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $360.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 price target on Air Products and Chemicals and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. One 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 presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.12.

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.