Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Decreases Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lessened its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 48.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 76,985 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 72,812 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $22,363,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 318.2% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 92 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Main Street Group LTD purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lloyd Advisory Services LLC. acquired a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, 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 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.88% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

APD has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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 report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup raised their price objective 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. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $342.00 price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, July 10th. Mizuho set a $345.00 target price on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. 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. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $326.88.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Up 0.2%

APD stock opened at $298.57 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.21. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $289.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $285.68. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $229.11 and a 12 month high of $314.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $66.49 billion, a PE ratio of 31.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.73.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.20 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.69 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Equities analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.22 earnings per share 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, November 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be issued a $1.81 dividend. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 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.