Linde PLC $LIN Shares Acquired by Clearbridge Investments LLC

Key Points

• Clearbridge Investments increased its Linde stake by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 2.48 million shares worth about $1.06 billion.
• Linde reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $4.33 and revenue of $8.78 billion, both topping analyst expectations, while revenue rose 8.2% from a year earlier.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.60 per share, and analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $541.91.

Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,476,011 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 64,123 shares during the quarter. Linde makes up about 0.8% of Clearbridge Investments LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned approximately 0.53% of Linde worth $1,055,746,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LIN. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Linde during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in Linde in the third quarter worth $29,000. Saranac Partners Ltd acquired a new position in Linde in the third quarter worth $29,000. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC boosted its holdings in Linde by 134.5% in the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 68 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $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 worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.80% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Linde Stock Performance

LIN stock opened at $507.90 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $234.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.73, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.72. Linde PLC has a 1 year low of $387.78 and a 1 year high of $521.28. The stock's fifty day moving average is $503.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $468.02.

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

Linde Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of Linde in a report on Tuesday. Seaport Research Partners lifted their price objective on shares of Linde from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Linde from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Linde from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $575.00 price objective on shares of Linde in a report on Monday, May 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $541.91.

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.

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