86,079 Shares in Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) Acquired by Banque Transatlantique SA

Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new position in shares of Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 86,079 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $36,437,000. Linde makes up about 0.9% of Banque Transatlantique SA's portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of Linde by 34.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 11,547,765 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $4,834,631,000 after buying an additional 2,957,604 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Linde by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,003,925 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $4,598,551,000 after acquiring an additional 30,750 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in Linde by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 9,214,290 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,857,741,000 after acquiring an additional 554,480 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Linde during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,901,853,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Linde by 11.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,925,322 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,062,085,000 after purchasing an additional 500,489 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.80% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP David P. Strauss sold 2,477 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.74, for a total transaction of $1,163,545.98. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $610,662. The trade was a 65.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert L. Wood sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $456.26, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 17.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,159 shares of company stock valued at $5,603,843 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Linde Stock Up 0.6 %

LIN stock traded up $2.61 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $449.66. 1,573,880 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,934,149. The stock has a market cap of $211.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Linde plc has a 1 year low of $408.65 and a 1 year high of $487.49. The firm's 50 day moving average is $452.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $448.96.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.92 by $0.03. Linde had a return on equity of 18.71% and a net margin of 19.89%. The firm had revenue of $8.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.75 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Linde plc will post 16.54 EPS for the current year.

Linde Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be given a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 4th. Linde's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on LIN shares. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Linde to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Argus raised shares of Linde to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded shares of Linde from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $480.00 to $515.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Linde has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $503.11.

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.