Linde PLC $LIN Shares Bought by Aureus Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Aureus Asset Management nearly doubled its stake in Linde during the first quarter, buying 52,003 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 106,606 shares worth about $52.9 million.
• Linde reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $4.33 versus the $4.27 estimate and revenue of $8.78 billion, up 8.2% year over year.
• The stock also has broad Wall Street support, with a consensus Buy rating and a target price around $548.67, while Linde continues to pay a quarterly dividend of $1.60 per share.

Aureus Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 95.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 106,606 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 52,003 shares during the period. Linde accounts for approximately 3.5% of Aureus Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Aureus Asset Management LLC's holdings in Linde were worth $52,851,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Signature Equity Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Linde by 24.0% during the 1st quarter. Signature Equity Partners LLC now owns 150 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its stake in Linde by 14.1% in the 1st quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 2,523 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,251,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares during the last quarter. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Linde by 964.8% in the 1st quarter. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,331 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $660,000 after purchasing an additional 1,206 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Linde by 6.2% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 570,323 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $282,743,000 after purchasing an additional 33,341 shares during the period. Finally, Insight Advisors LLC PA bought a new position in Linde during the first quarter worth about $207,000. Institutional investors own 82.80% of the company's stock.

Linde Trading Up 0.7%

LIN opened at $508.67 on Thursday. Linde PLC has a twelve month low of $387.78 and a twelve month high of $548.20. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $516.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $493.27. 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 capitalization of $235.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.72.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $8.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.60 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.95 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. Linde has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.600-17.900 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 4.400-4.500 EPS. Analysts predict that Linde PLC will post 17.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Linde Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 4th were paid a $1.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Linde's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on LIN. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $525.00 price target on shares of Linde in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Seaport Research Partners raised 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. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $560.00 target price on shares of Linde in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $575.00 price target on shares of Linde in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Linde from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $548.67.

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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