O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. Increases Stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD) by 24.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,024 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 782 shares during the quarter. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc.’s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $1,135,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Citizens National Bank Trust Department boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 833.3% in the 1st quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 112 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Ransom Advisory Ltd bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company’s stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $271.24 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $60.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.03, a P/E/G ratio of 5.65 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $243.69 and a 1-year high of $341.14. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $287.22 and its 200 day moving average is $281.69.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $3.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.95 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 12.86%.Air Products and Chemicals’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.20 EPS. Air Products and Chemicals has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.900-12.100 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 3.270-3.470 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. Air Products and Chemicals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 103.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on APD. Argus upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $335.00 price target on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, June 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $335.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of Air Products and Chemicals stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total value of $397,344.42. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 8,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,539,612.68. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Air Products and Chemicals

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc provides atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, equipment, and related services in the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, India, and internationally. The company produces atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, and argon; process gases, such as hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and syngas; and specialty gases for customers in various industries, including refining, chemical, manufacturing, electronics, energy production, medical, food, and metals.