Eliot Finkel Investment Counsel LLC Has $4.47 Million Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Reduced stake: Eliot Finkel Investment Counsel LLC cut its position in Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) by 16.6% in Q4 to 18,110 shares, worth $4.47 million and representing 2.7% of the firm's portfolio.
• Major institutional activity: Several large funds increased or opened sizable APD positions — Viking Global added a new ~$607.6M stake and UBS AM bought 892,793 shares — leaving institutional investors with about 81.66% ownership.
• Operational and shareholder updates: APD beat Q4 EPS expectations ($3.16 vs. $3.04), revenue rose 5.8%, the quarterly dividend was raised to $1.81 ($7.24 annualized, 2.5% yield), and management set Q2 2026 guidance of 2.95–3.10 EPS and FY 2026 guidance of 12.85–13.15 EPS.

Eliot Finkel Investment Counsel LLC reduced its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 16.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,110 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 3,600 shares during the quarter. Air Products and Chemicals accounts for 2.7% of Eliot Finkel Investment Counsel LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Eliot Finkel Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $4,474,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in APD. Viking Global Investors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the second quarter valued at $607,601,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 644.6% during the third quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,031,306 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $281,258,000 after buying an additional 892,793 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 21.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,616,305 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,258,678,000 after buying an additional 821,524 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 7.4% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,870,013 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,419,029,000 after buying an additional 609,489 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 31.2% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,880,652 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $512,891,000 after purchasing an additional 447,724 shares in the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Air Products and Chemicals

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

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

NYSE:APD opened at $294.83 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $286.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $267.25. The company has a market cap of $65.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -195.25, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.46. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $229.11 and a fifty-two week high of $301.25.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.05 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a positive return on equity of 15.77% and a negative net margin of 2.73%.The company's revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $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 anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be given a dividend of $1.81 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. This is an increase from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is currently -479.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities 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. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $282.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Air Products and Chemicals from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $280.00 to $310.00 in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $280.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $308.06.

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.

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