Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Sells 59,263 Shares of Linde PLC $LIN

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer cut its Linde stake by 6.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 59,263 shares and ending with 841,188 shares valued at about $358.9 million.
• Linde posted strong quarterly results, reporting EPS of $4.33 versus estimates of $4.27 and revenue of $8.78 billion, while also raising guidance for FY 2026 and Q2 2026.
• Analysts remain bullish on the stock, with a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $540, while Linde also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.60 per share.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich decreased its position in shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 6.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 841,188 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 59,263 shares during the period. Linde accounts for about 1.0% of Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich owned about 0.18% of Linde worth $358,890,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LIN. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Linde by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,953,116 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $19,167,559,000 after buying an additional 354,800 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Linde by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 19,319,583 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $9,176,828,000 after buying an additional 172,162 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in Linde by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 9,329,728 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $4,431,639,000 after buying an additional 83,236 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Linde by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,287,566 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,036,594,000 after buying an additional 242,733 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Linde by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,895,026 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,850,137,000 after buying an additional 176,650 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.80% of the company's stock.

Linde Price Performance

Shares of LIN stock opened at $513.26 on Thursday. Linde PLC has a 52-week low of $387.78 and a 52-week high of $521.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $237.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.73. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $496.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $458.62.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.06. Linde had a return on equity of 19.80% and a net margin of 20.44%.The firm had revenue of $8.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.60 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.95 EPS. Linde's quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Linde has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.600-17.900 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 4.400-4.500 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Linde PLC will post 17.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Linde Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 4th will be paid a dividend of $1.60 per share. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 4th. Linde's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LIN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Seaport Research Partners increased their price objective on shares of Linde from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Linde from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Linde from $552.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $560.00 price objective on shares of Linde in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Linde from $580.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $540.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 4,357 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $480.79, for a total transaction of $2,094,802.03. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 22,138 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,643,729.02. This trade represents a 16.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sean Durbin sold 6,520 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $477.27, for a total value of $3,111,800.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,151 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,890,227.77. This represents a 44.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 20,332 shares of company stock valued at $9,749,257 over the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Linde Profile

Linde NASDAQ: LIN is a multinational industrial gases and engineering company that supplies gases, related technologies and services to a wide range of industries. The company traces its current form to the 2018 combination of Germany's Linde AG and U.S.-based Praxair, creating one of the largest global providers of industrial, specialty and medical gases. Linde's business model centers on production, processing and distribution of gases as well as the design and construction of the plants and equipment needed to produce them.

Core products and services include atmospheric and process gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and argon; hydrogen and helium; carbon dioxide; and a portfolio of higher‑value specialty and electronic gases.

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