Meridian Management Co. Buys New Holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Meridian Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 10,982 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,190,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 1,616 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $399,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Revisor Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Revisor Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,545 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,320,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. StoneX Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. StoneX Group Inc. now owns 2,787 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $688,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 642 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $159,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA raised its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 756 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $187,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

APD opened at $299.46 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $289.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $282.98. The company has a market capitalization of $66.68 billion, a PE ratio of 31.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.73. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $229.11 and a 1 year high of $314.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.21.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 return on equity of 16.11% and a net margin of 16.91%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior 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. Research analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.22 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APD has been the subject of several research reports. Berenberg Bank set a $350.00 price target on Air Products and Chemicals and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. UBS Group increased 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 report on Friday, May 1st. 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $325.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $325.82.

Insider Activity at Air Products and Chemicals

In related news, CFO Melissa N. Schaeffer sold 2,714 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $303.76, for a total transaction of $824,404.64. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.88% of the company’s stock.

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.