Linde PLC $LIN Shares Acquired by Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.

Key Points

• Envestnet Portfolio Solutions increased its Linde stake by 23.6% in the fourth quarter, buying 7,855 more shares and bringing its total to 41,082 shares valued at about $17.5 million.
• Linde reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $4.33 topping estimates and revenue of $8.78 billion beating expectations; revenue also rose 8.2% year over year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.60 per share, payable June 18, and analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus Buy rating and a $540 target price.

Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its holdings in Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 23.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,082 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 7,855 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.'s holdings in Linde were worth $17,509,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of LIN. Stronghold Wealth Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of Linde in the 4th quarter worth approximately $260,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Linde during the fourth quarter valued at $72,000. High Note Wealth LLC grew its stake 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 in the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Linde by 44.0% during the 4th quarter. Sapient Capital LLC now owns 3,528 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,509,000 after acquiring an additional 1,078 shares in the last quarter. Finally, North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Linde during the 4th quarter worth about $6,867,000. 82.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Linde Price Performance

Linde stock opened at $506.07 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market cap of $233.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.60, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.73. The company's 50 day moving average price is $497.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $460.51. Linde PLC has a 52 week low of $387.78 and a 52 week high of $521.28.

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

Linde Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 4th will be issued a dividend of $1.60 per share. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 4th. Linde's payout ratio is currently 42.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Linde

In related news, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 4,357 shares of the business'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 transaction, the vice president owned 22,138 shares in the company, valued at $10,643,729.02. The trade was a 16.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sean Durbin sold 6,520 shares of the company'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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,890,227.77. This trade represents a 44.44% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on LIN shares. Seaport Research Partners raised their price objective on Linde from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. DZ Bank cut Linde from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $460.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $575.00 target price on shares of Linde in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Erste Group Bank upgraded Linde from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Linde from $525.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Linde presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $540.00.

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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