Simmons Bank Sells 7,425 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Simmons Bank cut its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 40.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 10,925 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 7,425 shares during the period. Simmons Bank’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $2,699,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 3,233.3% during the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 100 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth $30,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the third quarter worth $34,000. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on APD. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $338.00 to $341.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $285.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $323.12.

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 value of $824,404.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 14,212 shares in the company, valued at $4,317,037.12. This represents a 16.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.88% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:APD opened at $306.36 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $291.86 and a 200-day moving average of $271.39. The company has a market capitalization of $68.22 billion, a PE ratio of 32.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.77. 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 52-week low of $229.11 and a 52-week high of $307.96.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.06 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 16.91%.Air Products and Chemicals’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.69 earnings per share. 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. On average, equities analysts predict 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 1st will be issued a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.