Securian Asset Management Inc. Has $1.50 Million Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Securian Asset Management Inc. trimmed its position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 43.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 6,051 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 4,703 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,495,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 756 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $187,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.7% in the third quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC now owns 1,085 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $296,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.0% in the third quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,239 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,156,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 1,423 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $353,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Patton Fund Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Patton Fund Management Inc. now owns 863 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $213,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

In other news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Ridge Lp Mantle sold 70,175 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.21, for a total value 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on APD shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday, May 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.12.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 3.1%

Shares of APD stock opened at $304.63 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $290.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $270.67. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $229.11 and a 1 year high of $307.29.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $3.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 16.11%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.69 EPS. 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, sell-side analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.2 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 issued a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s payout ratio is 76.61%.

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.