Forsta AP Fonden Trims Holdings in Linde PLC $LIN

Key Points

• Forsta AP Fonden cut its Linde stake by 6.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 7,260 shares and leaving it with 100,440 shares valued at about $42.8 million.
• Insider selling was also notable, with VP Guillermo Bichara and EVP Sean Durbin both selling shares in March; insiders now own just 0.30% of the company.
• Linde beat quarterly earnings expectations and reported 8.2% revenue growth, while analysts remain bullish overall with an average Buy rating and a $540 price target.

Forsta AP Fonden decreased its holdings in Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 6.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 100,440 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 7,260 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden's holdings in Linde were worth $42,827,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor INC. raised its position in Linde by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Patrick Mauro Investment Advisor INC. now owns 14,869 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $6,340,000 after buying an additional 402 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Linde during the 4th quarter worth $3,246,750,000. Eurizon SLJ Capital Ltd purchased a new position in Linde during the 4th quarter worth $532,000. Milestones Administradora de Recursos Ltda. raised its position in Linde by 188.7% during the 4th quarter. Milestones Administradora de Recursos Ltda. now owns 42,870 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $18,279,000 after buying an additional 28,020 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Linde during the 4th quarter worth $260,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.80% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Linde news, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 4,357 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $480.79, for a total transaction of $2,094,802.03. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 22,138 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,643,729.02. This trade represents a 16.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Sean Durbin sold 6,520 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $477.27, for a total transaction of $3,111,800.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,151 shares in the company, valued at $3,890,227.77. This represents a 44.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Mizuho set a $525.00 price objective on shares of Linde in a research report on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Linde from $550.00 to $579.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. DZ Bank downgraded shares of Linde from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $460.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Linde from $580.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Linde from $552.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $540.00.

Linde Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LIN opened at $497.69 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $230.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.05, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.73. Linde PLC has a 52 week low of $387.78 and a 52 week high of $521.28. The company's 50-day moving average price is $501.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $465.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $8.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.60 billion. Linde had a net margin of 20.44% and a return on equity of 19.80%. The firm's revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.95 EPS. 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, research analysts forecast that Linde PLC will post 17.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Linde Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 4th will be paid a dividend of $1.60 per share. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 4th. Linde's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.50%.

About Linde

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LIN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.