Markel Group Inc. Acquires 4,000 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Markel Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 5.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 75,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares during the period. Markel Group Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $21,932,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 14.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $945,000 after acquiring an additional 412 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter valued at about $245,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 197.6% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 281,861 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $79,498,000 after purchasing an additional 187,142 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 2.1% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 103,777 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $29,271,000 after purchasing an additional 2,171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 52.5% in the second quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,474 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,873,000 after buying an additional 2,229 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,317,037.12. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.88% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock traded up $3.69 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $299.54. 1,349,476 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,547,647. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $289.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $281.93. 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 12 month low of $229.11 and a 12 month high of $314.87. The company has a market capitalization of $66.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.73.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.14. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The company had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.69 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. 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 Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on APD shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $307.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $342.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $344.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 target price on Air Products and Chemicals and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $315.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, May 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $325.82.

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.