KCM Investment Advisors LLC Cuts Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

KCM Investment Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 4.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,899 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,764 shares during the quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $11,590,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in APD. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $945,000 after acquiring an additional 412 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter valued at $245,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 197.6% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 103,777 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $29,271,000 after purchasing an additional 2,171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 52.5% during the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,474 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,873,000 after purchasing an additional 2,229 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on APD. Weiss Ratings raised Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Mizuho set a $345.00 price target on Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup lifted their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $326.88.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $292.90 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. 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 50-day moving average price of $289.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $285.92. The company has a market cap of $65.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.99, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.73.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.69 earnings per share. The firm’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, equities research analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $1.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is currently 76.61%.

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.