Sepio Capital LP Cuts Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Sepio Capital LP reduced its stake in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. by 14.9%, after selling 2,651 shares, resulting in holdings worth approximately $4.45 million.
• Air Products reported an earnings per share of $3.09 for the latest quarter, exceeding estimates, and has set FY 2025 guidance at $11.900-12.100 EPS.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.79 per share, yielding 2.5%, with a payout ratio of 103.02%.

Sepio Capital LP decreased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 14.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,101 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 2,651 shares during the quarter. Sepio Capital LP's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $4,454,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 20.9% during the 1st quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,603 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $473,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. Mantle Ridge LP purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth $1,191,344,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 8.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,238 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,250,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 62,981 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $18,267,000 after acquiring an additional 2,453 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Croban purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the 1st quarter worth $996,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on APD. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Friday, June 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $355.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a report on Thursday, May 29th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $320.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Air Products and Chemicals from $328.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $335.07.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Victoria Brifo sold 1,359 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.38, for a total value of $397,344.42. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 8,686 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,539,612.68. The trade was a 13.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Trading Up 2.4%

Shares of APD traded up $6.99 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $294.49. The stock had a trading volume of 448,273 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,246,131. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.12. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.69 and a 52-week high of $341.14. The business's fifty day moving average is $291.81 and its 200 day moving average is $284.78. The firm has a market cap of $65.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.37, a P/E/G ratio of 6.41 and a beta of 0.82.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.10. Air Products and Chemicals had a net margin of 12.86% and a return on equity of 15.11%. The firm had revenue of $3.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.20 earnings per share. Air Products and Chemicals's quarterly revenue was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. 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 predict 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 $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is currently 103.02%.

Air Products and Chemicals Company Profile

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.