Linde PLC $LIN Shares Acquired by Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS

Key Points

• Kornitzer Capital increased its stake in Linde by 11.1% to 45,916 shares (~$19.6M), while other institutions made much larger moves (SG Americas bought ~2.42M shares worth ~$1.03B and Nordea boosted its stake by 34.5%), leaving institutional ownership at about 82.8%.
• Q1 results beat expectations with EPS $4.33 vs. $4.27 and revenue $8.78B (up 8.2% YoY); management set FY2026 guidance at $17.60–$17.90 EPS and Q2 guidance at $4.40–$4.50.
• Linde raised its quarterly dividend to $1.60 (annualized $6.40, yield ~1.3%), and analysts remain largely positive with a consensus "Buy" and an average price target around $527.80 versus the stock trading near $508.

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS grew its holdings in Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 11.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 45,916 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 4,575 shares during the period. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS's holdings in Linde were worth $19,578,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Linde by 10,454.4% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 2,424,869 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,033,940,000 after buying an additional 2,401,894 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Linde during the third quarter worth about $453,274,000. Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in Linde during the third quarter worth about $260,822,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in Linde by 34.5% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,124,882 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $910,129,000 after buying an additional 544,850 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new position in Linde during the third quarter worth about $206,747,000. 82.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Linde Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:LIN opened at $507.92 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $496.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $456.09. The stock has a market cap of $235.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.78. Linde PLC has a fifty-two week low of $387.78 and a fifty-two week high of $521.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 20.30% and a return on equity of 19.52%. The firm's revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter 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. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Linde PLC will post 17.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Linde Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 4th will be issued a $1.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Linde's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.87%.

Insider Activity at Linde

In related news, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 4,357 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $480.79, for a total value of $2,094,802.03. Following the sale, the vice president owned 22,138 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,643,729.02. This trade represents a 16.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sean Durbin sold 6,520 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were 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 directly 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,332 shares of company stock worth $9,749,257. 0.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Linde

Here are the key news stories impacting Linde this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results topped expectations — adjusted EPS $4.33 vs. $4.27 consensus and revenue $8.78B (up ~8% YoY); management cited pricing and project start‑ups as growth drivers. Business Wire: Linde Reports First-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its dividend alongside the quarter, a shareholder‑friendly move that supports income and signals confidence in cash flow. Zacks: Linde Q1 Earnings Beat, Dividend Raised
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability remains strong — net margin (~20.3%) and ROE (~19.5%) indicate healthy cash conversion and operational leverage that support valuations. MarketBeat: Linde Q1 Summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Q2 guidance given at $4.40–$4.50 is essentially in line with the Street (consensus ~4.45), so near‑term guidance doesn’t materially surprise investors either way. Seeking Alpha: Q1 Results Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Management hosted an earnings call and published the slide deck/transcript — useful for assessing segment dynamics (industrial gases, projects) but no new strategic shifts announced. Seeking Alpha: Q1 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: FY 2026 guidance set to $17.60–$17.90 has a midpoint slightly below the current consensus (~17.83), which could be viewed as a modest disappointment if investors expected an upward revision. Zacks: What Key Metrics Say

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on LIN. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $530.00 target price on shares of Linde in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Seaport Research Partners increased their target price on shares of Linde from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. DZ Bank lowered shares of Linde from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $460.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Linde from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Linde from $545.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $527.80.

Linde 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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