Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Makes New Investment in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Rakuten Investment Management opened a new Air Products position in the third quarter, buying 39,608 shares valued at approximately $11.1 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company’s stock.
• Fiscal fourth-quarter revenue rose 12.3% year over year to $3.56 billion, topping estimates, while adjusted EPS of $3.61 matched consensus. Management forecast fiscal 2027 adjusted EPS of $14.15–$14.50 and cited more than $2 billion in new electronics wins.
• Project-related costs remain a significant risk: full-year GAAP EPS was $2.39 versus adjusted EPS of $13.45, reflecting charges tied mainly to two China coal-gasification projects. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.81 per share.

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 39,608 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $11,058,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. S&CO Inc. acquired a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals during the 2nd quarter worth $27,733,000. Park National Corp OH lifted its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 66.7% in the third quarter. Park National Corp OH now owns 24,538 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $6,761,000 after acquiring an additional 9,817 shares during the last quarter. Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 1,457.1% in the third quarter. Neville Rodie & Shaw Inc. now owns 28,806 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $7,851,000 after acquiring an additional 26,956 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 26.7% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 57,052 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $16,573,000 after acquiring an additional 12,020 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 1,352.9% during the third quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,309 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,627,000 after purchasing an additional 12,393 shares during the last quarter. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Air Products and Chemicals

Here are the key news stories impacting Air Products and Chemicals this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal Q4 adjusted EPS was $3.61, in line with consensus, while revenue rose 12.3% year over year to $3.56 billion, exceeding estimates. Full-year adjusted EPS increased 12% to $13.45. Air Products fiscal 2026 results and guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Management forecast fiscal 2027 adjusted EPS of $14.15–$14.50 and reported more than $2 billion in new electronics wins, expanding its project backlog. APD Q4 earnings and fiscal 2027 outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target to $360 from $355 and maintained an Outperform rating. Mizuho price-target update
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP results were burdened by significant project-exit charges, primarily tied to two China coal-gasification plants. Full-year GAAP EPS was $2.39, far below adjusted EPS of $13.45, highlighting ongoing project-related risks that may temper the positive operating results. Air Products fiscal 2026 results and guidance

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Down 2.8%

APD stock opened at $309.98 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $69.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $294.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $290.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.92. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $229.11 and a 12 month high of $324.00.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported $3.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $3.61. The company had revenue of $3.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.33 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a negative net margin of 0.38% and a positive return on equity of 16.87%. Air Products and Chemicals's revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.39 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 13.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 8th. Investors of record on Monday, January 4th will be issued a dividend of $1.81 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, January 4th. This represents a $7.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -3,290.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $320.00 target price on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. KeyCorp initiated coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. They issued a "sector weight" rating for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $373.00 target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group dropped their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $336.00 to $305.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $345.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $333.88.

Air Products and Chemicals Profile

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc is a global industrial gas and related equipment company serving customers in industries such as refining, chemicals, manufacturing, metals, electronics, food and beverage, healthcare, and energy. The company supplies atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen and argon, as well as hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, specialty gases and other industrial gases.

Air Products produces and distributes gases through pipelines, on-site facilities, bulk deliveries and packaged-gas systems.

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