United Services Automobile Association Invests $1.48 Million in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 5,068 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,481,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $945,000 after acquiring an additional 412 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $245,000. Focus Partners Wealth raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 62,981 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $18,267,000 after purchasing an additional 2,453 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 12.0% in the 4th quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 1,091 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $316,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 145.6% during the 4th quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 27,012 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $7,835,000 after buying an additional 16,012 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction of $397,344.42. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Air Products and Chemicals stock opened at $288.87 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.29 billion, a PE ratio of 41.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.47 and a beta of 0.82. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $243.69 and a one year high of $341.14. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $291.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $284.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.29.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.20 earnings per share. Air Products and Chemicals’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, sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 103.02%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on APD. Wall Street Zen upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $290.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. 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. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average 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.