The board is urging shareholders to support the nominations of Patel and Stern (AS:PBHP) at the 2025 Annual Meeting, which would result in six out of nine directors being newly elected in the past five years. This move is seen as part of a strategy to ensure rigorous oversight and to maintain the company's trajectory of growth and value creation. Recent InvestingPro data shows the stock has delivered a 13.7% return over the past six months, with relatively low price volatility. Investors seeking deeper insights into Air Products' financial health, valuation metrics, and growth potential can access the comprehensive Pro Research Report, available exclusively to InvestingPro subscribers. Recent InvestingPro data shows the stock has delivered a 13.7% return over the past six months, with relatively low price volatility. Investors seeking deeper insights into Air Products' financial health, valuation metrics, and growth potential can access the comprehensive Pro Research Report, available exclusively to InvestingPro subscribers. Air Products' board today addressed the proposal to install Mantle Ridge's preferred candidates as CEO and Chairman, expressing concerns over their qualifications and past conduct.
The board criticized the suggested Chairman, Dennis Reilley, for being out of management for 18 years, pointing out the significant changes in the industry since then. Mantle Ridge's CEO candidate, Eduardo Menezes, was also scrutinized for his lack of experience as a public company CEO and for only overseeing a single region at his previous company, Linde (NYSE:LIN). Moreover, Mantle Ridge has been questioned for not nominating Menezes to the Board, suggesting a lack of confidence in him without Reilley's support.
Further doubts were raised regarding Mantle Ridge's claims about the two candidates' contributions to Linde's shareholder return, noting Reilley's departure from Linde in 2007 and Menezes' in 2021. The board also highlighted the ethical concerns surrounding Reilley, who is alleged to have leaked confidential information, leading to an insider trading scandal.
The statement also emphasized the inferiority of Mantle Ridge's other nominees, Tracy McKibben and Andrew Evans, compared to Air Products' new director candidates, Bhavesh V. Patel and Alfred Stern, who have extensive experience leading major publicly listed industrial companies.
The board is urging shareholders to support the nominations of Patel and Stern at the 2025 Annual Meeting, which would result in six out of nine directors being newly elected in the past five years. This move is seen as part of a strategy to ensure rigorous oversight and to maintain the company's trajectory of growth and value creation. Recent InvestingPro data shows the stock has delivered a 13.7% return over the past six months, with relatively low price volatility. Investors seeking deeper insights into Air Products' financial health, valuation metrics, and growth potential can access the comprehensive Pro Research Report, available exclusively to InvestingPro subscribers. The company plans to continue its CEO succession process, promising an announcement regarding a new President by March 31, 2025.
The board is urging shareholders to support the nominations of Patel and Stern at the 2025 Annual Meeting, which would result in six out of nine directors being newly elected in the past five years. This move is seen as part of a strategy to ensure rigorous oversight and to maintain the company's trajectory of growth and value creation.
This statement is based on a press release from Air Products and offers a glimpse into the ongoing dialogue between the company's board and an active shareholder group. The full details of the board's evaluation and the shareholder letter can be found in the company's official statement.
In other recent news, Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD), Inc. has seen significant corporate developments. The company reported a 13% year-over-year increase in adjusted earnings per share for Q4 2024, meeting their guidance. Anticipating an EPS growth of 6% to 9% for fiscal year 2025, this projection holds despite the sale of its LNG business to Honeywell (NASDAQ:HON). Analysts at Mizuho (NYSE:MFG) and BMO Capital have maintained their Outperform ratings on Air Products, adjusting their price targets to $385 and $350 respectively, following these strong Q4 results and fiscal year guidance.
Investment firms Mantle Ridge LP and D.E. Shaw have voiced concerns over the company's governance, specifically criticizing the handling of CEO succession planning. Both firms have proposed changes in the board's composition at the upcoming 2025 Annual Meeting. In response, Air Products announced a structured plan for CEO succession, intending to name a new President and outline the CEO transition timeline by March 31, 2025.
In addition to these developments, Air Products continues to focus on the emerging clean hydrogen market. The company has multiple projects in progress, including a 15-year contract to provide TotalEnergies (EPA:TTEF) with green hydrogen starting in 2030. The company's construction-in-progress currently stands at $11 billion, indicating a significant increase in ongoing projects. These are the recent developments in the company's operations.
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