D.A. Davidson & CO. Buys New Position in Linde PLC $LIN

Key Points

• D.A. Davidson acquired 30,876 Linde shares during the third quarter, valued at approximately $14.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 82.8% of Linde’s outstanding stock.
• Linde’s third-quarter adjusted EPS of $4.59 and revenue of $9.4 billion exceeded analyst expectations, supported by higher pricing, volume gains and strong electronics and AI-related demand. Management also raised its full-year 2026 earnings outlook.
• Despite strong adjusted results, Linde reported lower GAAP earnings and guided fourth-quarter EPS to $4.40–$4.50 while expecting a $425 million restructuring charge. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.60, equivalent to a 1.3% annualized yield.

D.A. Davidson & CO. bought a new stake in shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 30,876 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $14,655,000.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LIN. Principia Wealth Advisory LLC lifted 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 valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID boosted its holdings 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 worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Linde by 1,450.0% in the 1st quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 62 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Linde in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Polaris Financial Partners purchased a new stake in shares of Linde in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors own 82.80% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Linde

Here are the key news stories impacting Linde this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted earnings and revenue beat expectations. Linde posted adjusted EPS of $4.59, above the $4.52 consensus, while sales increased 9% year over year to $9.4 billion versus expectations of $9.16 billion. Adjusted EPS rose 9% from the prior-year quarter. Linde Reports Third-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Pricing, volumes and electronics demand supported growth. Higher pricing and volume gains in the Americas, along with strong demand for gases used in semiconductor manufacturing and artificial-intelligence infrastructure, helped drive the sales increase. Management also raised its full-year 2026 earnings outlook. LIN Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates on Higher Americas Pricing and Volumes
• Positive Sentiment: Demand trends remain constructive. The earnings call highlighted continued momentum in electronics and other end markets, reinforcing the long-term growth case for Linde’s specialty and industrial gases businesses. Linde plc Q3 2026 Earnings Call Summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported results were mixed. GAAP net income declined 12% to $1.69 billion and diluted EPS fell 11% to $3.66, primarily reflecting purchase-accounting effects and other costs; adjusted profitability was substantially stronger.
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term guidance and restructuring costs may limit enthusiasm. Linde guided fourth-quarter adjusted EPS to $4.40–$4.50 and expects to record a $425 million restructuring charge. Investors are also evaluating strategic options for Lincare, adding uncertainty around near-term earnings and capital allocation. Linde Guides Q4 EPS and Takes Restructuring Charge

Linde Stock Down 1.0%

LIN stock opened at $503.15 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $231.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $482.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $492.00. Linde PLC has a 1-year low of $387.78 and a 1-year high of $548.20.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The basic materials company reported $4.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.52 by $0.07. Linde had a return on equity of 20.09% and a net margin of 20.43%. The firm had revenue of $9.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.16 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.21 EPS. The business's revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Linde PLC will post 17.86 EPS for the current year.

Linde Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 3rd will be issued a $1.60 dividend. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 3rd. Linde's payout ratio is 41.34%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on LIN. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Linde in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Linde from $532.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Linde in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Linde in a research note on Monday, October 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $577.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Linde from $580.00 to $560.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $547.48.

Linde Profile

Linde plc NASDAQ: LIN is a global industrial gases and engineering company. It produces and distributes atmospheric gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and argon, as well as hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide and specialty gases. The company serves customers through packaged gases, bulk deliveries, on-site production and pipeline systems.

Linde's products and services support a broad range of industries, including healthcare, food and beverage, manufacturing, chemicals, energy, refining, electronics and metals.

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