Principal Financial Group Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 52.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 774,276 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 848,033 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $224,920,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of APD. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3,233.3% during the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total value of $824,404.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,317,037.12. This represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

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. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $289.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $282.98. The stock has a market cap of $66.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.73. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $229.11 and a one year high of $314.87.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share 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 business 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 earned $2.69 earnings per share. The company’s 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. As a group, research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.22 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be given a dividend of $1.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 76.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APD has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $344.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $342.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $325.82.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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.