53,097 Shares in Linde PLC $LIN Purchased by Community Trust & Investment Co.

Key Points

• Community Trust & Investment Co. bought 53,097 Linde shares worth approximately $25.2 million, making Linde its 21st-largest portfolio holding; institutional investors collectively own 82.8% of the company.
• Linde reported quarterly EPS of $4.50 and revenue of $9.29 billion, exceeding analyst expectations, while setting FY 2026 EPS guidance of $17.70–$17.90. The company also pays a $1.60 quarterly dividend, or $6.40 annually, yielding about 1.3%.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive view, with a consensus “Buy” rating and a $547.10 price target, although several firms recently lowered targets and one valuation analysis warned that the stock may be fully valued near 32 times forward earnings.

Community Trust & Investment Co. purchased a new position in shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 53,097 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $25,203,000. Linde makes up 1.2% of Community Trust & Investment Co.'s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Principia Wealth Advisory LLC increased its stake in Linde by 74.2% during the 2nd quarter. Principia Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 54 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID increased its position in Linde by 96.6% during the 1st quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 57 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Linde by 1,450.0% during the 1st quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 62 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Linde during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Polaris Financial Partners bought a new position in Linde in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.80% of the company's stock.

Linde Stock Performance

Shares of LIN opened at $493.22 on Friday. Linde PLC has a one year low of $387.78 and a one year high of $548.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $478.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $498.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $227.36 billion, a PE ratio of 31.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.71.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $4.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.49 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $9.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.02 billion. Linde had a return on equity of 20.09% and a net margin of 20.43%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.09 EPS. Linde has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.700-17.900 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 4.450-4.550 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Linde PLC will post 17.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Linde Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 3rd were issued a $1.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Linde's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.34%.

Key Headlines Impacting Linde

Here are the key news stories impacting Linde this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays upgraded Linde to “strong buy,” signaling increased confidence in the industrial-gases producer’s earnings outlook and business durability. Barclays upgrade report
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada retained an “outperform” rating and its revised $549 target still implies meaningful upside from the current share price, despite the modest target reduction. RBC analyst action
• Positive Sentiment: A recent article highlighted Linde’s exposure to industrial gases and long-term secular growth trends, reinforcing the company’s positioning in essential industrial markets. Linde adds exposure to industrial gases and secular growth trends
• Positive Sentiment: Linde was featured among dividend companies viewed as capable of raising prices without materially damaging demand, supporting its defensive appeal and potential for continued cash-flow growth. Five boring dividend stocks that could keep growing
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst-rating coverage remains an important focus for investors, but the available report provides no specific new earnings or valuation forecast. What investment firms are saying about Linde
• Negative Sentiment: One valuation-focused analysis argued that Linde appears fully valued on current earnings. With a reported forward-looking valuation near 32 times earnings, this could limit upside and make the stock sensitive to weaker growth or disappointing guidance. Linde stock looks fully valued on current earnings

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LIN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Linde from $612.00 to $574.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $580.00 target price on Linde and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Linde in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Linde from $553.00 to $549.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Argus lowered their price target on shares of Linde from $563.00 to $538.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Linde currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $547.10.

About Linde

Linde plc NASDAQ: LIN is a global industrial gases and engineering company that supplies gases, related equipment and process technologies to customers in healthcare, manufacturing, chemicals, energy, food and beverage, electronics, and other industries. Its products include oxygen, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide and specialty gases.

The company provides gases through on-site production facilities, pipelines, bulk deliveries and packaged cylinders. It also designs and builds industrial gas plants and offers technologies and services for applications such as hydrogen production, carbon capture, clean energy, semiconductor manufacturing, metal fabrication and medical care.

Linde traces its history to 1879, when German engineer Carl von Linde developed refrigeration and gas-related technologies.

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