Wedge Capital Management L L P NC Sells 6,113 Shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. $APD

Key Points

• Wedge Capital Management L L P NC reduced its stake in Air Products (NYSE:APD) by 24.4% in Q4, selling 6,113 shares and leaving 18,988 shares valued at $4.69 million.
• Director Ridge Lp Mantle sold 70,175 shares on Feb. 12 at an average price of $284.21 for about $19.94 million, cutting their ownership by 42.87%; insiders now own 1.88% of the company.
• Air Products beat Q earnings with EPS $3.16 (vs. $3.04 consensus) and $3.10 billion revenue, set FY2026 guidance of 12.85–13.15 EPS, and raised the quarterly dividend to $1.81 (annualized $7.24, ~2.5% yield).

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC lessened its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 24.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 18,988 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 6,113 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $4,690,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of APD. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 14.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,260 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $945,000 after purchasing an additional 412 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $245,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Air Products and Chemicals by 10.4% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 57,639 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $16,258,000 after purchasing an additional 5,430 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Air Products and Chemicals by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 1,756 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $495,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Air Products and Chemicals during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $654,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Air Products and Chemicals

In other Air Products and Chemicals news, Director Ridge Lp Mantle sold 70,175 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.21, for a total transaction of $19,944,436.75. Following the transaction, the director owned 93,499 shares of the company's stock, valued at $26,573,350.79. This trade represents a 42.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.88% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE APD opened at $292.39 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market cap of $65.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -193.63, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.88. The company's 50-day moving average price is $278.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $265.49. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $229.11 and a 52 week high of $301.11.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The basic materials company reported $3.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm 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, research analysts forecast that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 1st will be issued 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 is Wednesday, April 1st. This represents a $7.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -474.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on APD. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $272.00 to $285.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $255.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of Air Products and Chemicals in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Weiss Ratings raised Air Products and Chemicals from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Argus lowered their target price on shares of Air Products and Chemicals from $317.00 to $265.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Air Products and Chemicals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $300.88.

Air Products and Chemicals Company 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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