Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Sells 2,636 Shares of Linde PLC $LIN

Key Points

• Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund cut its Linde stake by 25.4% in the first quarter, selling 2,636 shares and leaving it with 7,760 shares worth about $3.85 million.
• Linde reported a strong quarter, with EPS of $4.33 and revenue of $8.78 billion, both ahead of expectations, while revenue rose 8.2% year over year.
• The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $1.60 per share and continues to attract favorable Wall Street views, with analysts maintaining an overall Buy rating and an average target price of about $548.67.

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund decreased its holdings in Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 25.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,760 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 2,636 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund's holdings in Linde were worth $3,847,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LIN. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Linde in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Triumph Capital Management grew its stake in Linde by 69.2% in the 4th quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 66 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC grew its stake in Linde by 134.5% in the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 68 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. High Note Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Linde by 108.6% during the fourth quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 73 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Linde by 1,450.0% in the first quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 62 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. 82.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Linde Price Performance

Shares of LIN opened at $513.22 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $515.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $491.09. Linde PLC has a fifty-two week low of $387.78 and a fifty-two week high of $548.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $237.29 billion, a PE ratio of 34.08, a PEG ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.83.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $8.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.60 billion. Linde had a net margin of 20.44% and a return on equity of 19.80%. Linde's revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.95 earnings per share. Linde has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.600-17.900 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 4.400-4.500 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Linde PLC will post 17.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Linde Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 4th were issued a $1.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Linde's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on LIN shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Linde in a research note on Friday. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $525.00 target price on shares of Linde in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Linde from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Linde in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an "overweight" rating on the stock. Finally, Seaport Research Partners raised their price target on Linde from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $548.67.

Linde Company 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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