Washington Trust Advisors Inc. Sells 21,239 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Washington Trust Advisors Inc. reduced its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 32.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 44,506 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 21,239 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for about 0.8% of Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $10,994,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rockland Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 56,909 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $14,058,000 after acquiring an additional 4,319 shares during the period. Platform Technology Partners lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 683.0% in the third quarter. Platform Technology Partners now owns 7,164 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,954,000 after acquiring an additional 6,249 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 16.4% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 789,659 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $215,356,000 after acquiring an additional 111,317 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 57,474 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $14,197,000 after acquiring an additional 5,909 shares during the period. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.9% in the third quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 2,299,299 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $627,065,000 after acquiring an additional 21,479 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, Director Ridge Lp Mantle sold 70,175 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.21, for a total transaction of $19,944,436.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 93,499 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,573,350.79. This represents a 42.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total value of $824,404.64. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 14,212 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,317,037.12. This trade represents a 16.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on APD. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $315.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. UBS Group boosted their price target on 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $315.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $338.00 to $341.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $323.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $295.52 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $229.11 and a twelve month high of $307.29. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $289.84 and its 200-day moving average is $270.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.27, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.77.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company 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 firm earned $2.69 earnings per share. Air Products and Chemicals’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 forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.81 per share. The ex-dividend date 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%.

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.