Meridian Management Co. Purchases New Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Meridian Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm purchased 10,982 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,190,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Members Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter worth $200,000. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 18.2% in the first quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 1,998 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $580,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 3.5% during the first quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 11,323 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,289,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares during the period. Calamos Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth about $242,000. Finally, Calamos Advisors LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% during the first quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC now owns 57,967 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $16,839,000 after buying an additional 832 shares in the last quarter. 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 company’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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 14,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,317,037.12. This represents a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of APD opened at $299.46 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 1.43. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $229.11 and a 52 week high of $314.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.69, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.73. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $289.88 and a 200-day moving average of $282.98.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.69 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals’s quarterly 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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

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 dividend of $1.81 per share. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 76.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APD has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $338.00 to $341.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, 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 research note on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $325.82.

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.