Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) Shares Sold by Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C.

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. reduced its holdings in Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 445,235 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 2,900 shares during the quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned 0.09% of Linde worth $186,407,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LIN. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Linde in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Linde by 1,160.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 63 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Linde in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its stake in shares of Linde by 144.8% in the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 71 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Linde in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.80% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on LIN shares. Argus upgraded Linde to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Linde to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of Linde from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $480.00 to $515.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $498.00.

Linde Price Performance

LIN stock traded down $2.83 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $445.58. The stock had a trading volume of 726,429 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,945,995. Linde plc has a 52-week low of $408.65 and a 52-week high of $487.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $454.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $450.24. The company has a market cap of $210.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.94.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.93 by $0.04. Linde had a net margin of 19.89% and a return on equity of 18.71%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Linde plc will post 16.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Linde Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Linde's previous quarterly dividend of $1.39. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.35%. Linde's dividend payout ratio is 44.09%.

Insider Transactions at Linde

In related news, VP Juergen Nowicki sold 6,782 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $459.62, for a total transaction of $3,117,142.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 14,765 shares in the company, valued at $6,786,289.30. This represents a 31.48 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Robert L. Wood sold 2,900 shares of Linde stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $456.26, for a total value of $1,323,154.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 14,013 shares in the company, valued at $6,393,571.38. This trade represents a 17.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,159 shares of company stock valued at $5,603,843. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Linde Company Profile

Linde plc operates as an industrial gas company in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and South Pacific. It offers atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and rare gases; and process gases, such as carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, electronic gases, specialty gases, and acetylene.