Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) Shares Purchased by Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 80.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,253 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,004 shares during the quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC's holdings in Linde were worth $943,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Linde during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Linde during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management increased its stake in shares of Linde by 34.2% during the fourth quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 98 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Linde in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, Valley National Advisers Inc. lifted its stake in Linde by 105.0% in the fourth quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 123 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.80% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Linde

In related news, VP David P. Strauss sold 1,987 shares of Linde stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $457.04, for a total value of $908,138.48. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 22,639 shares in the company, valued at $10,346,928.56. This trade represents a 8.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on LIN shares. Argus upgraded shares of Linde to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Linde to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Linde currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $503.11.

Linde Stock Performance

NASDAQ LIN traded down $5.44 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $462.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,241,948 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,958,098. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market cap of $217.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.00. Linde plc has a twelve month low of $408.65 and a twelve month high of $487.49. The business's fifty day moving average price is $451.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $447.74.

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

Linde Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 4th. Linde's payout ratio is currently 43.57%.

Linde 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.