Jennison Associates LLC Reduces Stake in Linde PLC $LIN

Key Points

• Jennison Associates LLC reduced its stake in Linde by 35.6% in the first quarter, selling 54,743 shares and ending with 99,232 shares valued at about $49.2 million.
• Linde reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $4.33 and revenue of $8.78 billion, both above analyst expectations, with revenue up 8.2% year over year.
• Analysts remain bullish on Linde, with a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $548.67; the company also paid a quarterly dividend of $1.60 per share.

Jennison Associates LLC lessened its holdings in Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 35.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 99,232 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 54,743 shares during the quarter. Jennison Associates LLC's holdings in Linde were worth $49,195,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Linde Stock Performance

NASDAQ LIN opened at $512.05 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $236.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.00, a PEG ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.72. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $516.10 and a 200 day moving average of $492.13. 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 PLC has a twelve month low of $387.78 and a twelve month high of $548.20.

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 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 return on equity of 19.80% and a net margin of 20.44%.Linde's quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Linde PLC will post 17.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Linde Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Linde in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings raised Linde from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Seaport Research Partners raised their target price on Linde from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $525.00 price target on shares of Linde in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Linde in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Linde has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus 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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