Simplicity Wealth LLC Increases Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Simplicity Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 128.2% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 8,424 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,733 shares during the period. Simplicity Wealth LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,376,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 20.9% in the first quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,603 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $473,000 after buying an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. West Oak Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 12.2% during the 2nd quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 10,815 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,050,000 after acquiring an additional 1,180 shares during the period. Chapin Davis Inc. grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 16.1% in the 2nd quarter. Chapin Davis Inc. now owns 11,157 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,147,000 after acquiring an additional 1,551 shares in the last quarter. Revisor Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 110.4% during the second quarter. Revisor Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,265 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $966,000 after purchasing an additional 1,713 shares during the period. Finally, Norden Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 167.3% during the second quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 5,800 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,636,000 after purchasing an additional 3,630 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD opened at $271.24 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.36 billion, a PE ratio of 39.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.65 and a beta of 0.83. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $287.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $281.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.12. 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 for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.95 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 12.86%.Air Products and Chemicals’s quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.20 earnings per share. 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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be paid a $1.79 dividend. 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 is currently 103.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on APD. Mizuho lifted their price objective 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. Citigroup upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $335.00 target price on Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Finally, Argus raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $335.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total transaction of $397,344.42. Following the sale, the vice president owned 8,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,539,612.68. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

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.