Littlejohn Financial Services Inc. Boosts Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Littlejohn Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 108.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,748 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 4,557 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for approximately 1.7% of Littlejohn Financial Services Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Littlejohn Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,386,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of APD. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 1.5% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,739,830 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,131,936,000 after acquiring an additional 324,885 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,452,914 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,666,289,000 after purchasing an additional 180,056 shares during the last quarter. Dodge & Cox raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 8,821,400 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,488,164,000 after purchasing an additional 61,678 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,434,228 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,814,839,000 after buying an additional 310,799 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 0.5% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,134,550 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,450,526,000 after buying an additional 27,256 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $267.19 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.38. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $229.11 and a fifty-two week high of $341.14. The stock has a market cap of $59.47 billion, a PE ratio of -150.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.87. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $253.15 and a 200-day moving average of $270.73.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.38 by $0.01. Air Products and Chemicals had a positive return on equity of 15.18% and a negative net margin of 3.28%.The business had revenue of $3.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.56 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Air Products and Chemicals has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.100 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 12.850-13.150 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 9th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 2nd will be paid a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 2nd. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is currently -402.25%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on APD. UBS Group cut shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $310.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $315.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, December 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, December 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $275.00 to $260.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $275.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $292.00.

Air Products and Chemicals Profile

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.