ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• ZWJ Investment Counsel increased its stake in Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD) by 5.8% in Q4 to 64,334 shares valued at $15.892 million, and institutional investors now own 81.66% of the stock.
• Q4 results beat expectations with EPS $3.16 vs $3.04 and revenue $3.10B (up 5.8% YoY); the company set Q2 2026 EPS guidance of 2.95–3.10 and FY2026 guidance of 12.85–13.15 and raised the quarterly dividend to $1.81 (annualized $7.24, ~2.4% yield).
• Analyst sentiment is positive (consensus "Moderate Buy" with a $303.94 average target) despite an insider sale of 70,175 shares in February.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 64,334 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 3,503 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $15,892,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in APD. Patton Fund Management Inc. grew its position in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Patton Fund Management Inc. now owns 863 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $213,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. LOM Asset Management Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. LOM Asset Management Ltd now owns 2,917 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $721,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 135,947 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $33,582,000 after purchasing an additional 6,342 shares during the period. Third View Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,218,000. Finally, Tectonic Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 1,313 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $324,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. 81.66% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

APD opened at $296.66 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $285.30 and a 200 day moving average of $266.39. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $229.11 and a 52-week high of $301.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market cap of $66.05 billion, a P/E ratio of -196.46, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.80.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.04 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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%.Air Products and Chemicals's revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 EPS for the current year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be given a $1.81 dividend. This is a positive change from Air Products and Chemicals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is presently -479.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

APD has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $300.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Bank of America raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $275.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Air Products and Chemicals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $270.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $303.94.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, Director Ridge Lp Mantle sold 70,175 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.21, for a total value of $19,944,436.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 93,499 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,573,350.79. The trade was a 42.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.88% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.

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