Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Acquires New Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 554,136 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $162,462,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 318.2% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 92 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Main Street Group LTD acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on APD. Morgan Stanley set a $320.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Citigroup increased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $315.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $320.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 price objective on Air Products and Chemicals and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $332.76.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD opened at $300.68 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $293.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $289.79. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $229.11 and a 1-year high of $314.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,366.73, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.73.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.34 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $3.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.20 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a negative net margin of 0.38% and a positive return on equity of 16.87%. The business’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.09 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.390-13.490 EPS and its Q4 2026 guidance at 3.550-3.650 EPS. Analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.45 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be given a $1.81 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently -3,290.91%.

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.