Centaurus Financial Inc. Buys 1,769 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 113.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,332 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 1,769 shares during the quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $909,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in APD. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 14.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $945,000 after purchasing an additional 412 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the 4th quarter worth about $245,000. Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 5,701 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,626,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 0.7% in the second quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 7,779 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,194,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, Director Ridge Lp Mantle sold 70,175 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.21, for a total value of $19,944,436.75. Following the sale, the director owned 93,499 shares in the company, valued at $26,573,350.79. This represents a 42.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.88% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock opened at $284.72 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $275.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $265.96. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a one year low of $229.11 and a one year high of $301.11. The stock has a market cap of $63.40 billion, a P/E ratio of -188.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 1.23.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.04 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.05 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a negative net margin of 2.73% and a positive return on equity of 15.77%. Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.86 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.950-3.100 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 12.850-13.150 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.81 per share. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. This is a boost from Air Products and Chemicals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -474.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Monday, December 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $272.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Air Products and Chemicals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $299.12.

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.