Linde PLC $LIN Shares Newly Acquired by Founders Financial Securities LLC

Key Points

• Founders Financial Securities LLC acquired a new Linde stake of 5,263 shares worth approximately $2.5 million in the third quarter, while institutional investors collectively own 82.8% of the company.
• Linde reported stronger-than-expected third-quarter results, with adjusted EPS of $4.59 and revenue of $9.40 billion, up 9.3% year over year. Growth was supported by pricing, Americas volume gains, electronics demand and AI-related semiconductor investment.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average target price of $550.14; however, a planned $425 million restructuring charge and softer fourth-quarter EPS guidance could create near-term pressure.

Founders Financial Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 5,263 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $2,498,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Atwood & Palmer Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Linde by 12.9% during the second quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 175 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. raised its stake in Linde by 0.5% in the first quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 4,159 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,062,000 after buying an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Principia Wealth Advisory LLC raised its stake in Linde by 74.2% in the second quarter. Principia Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 54 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Towercrest Capital Management raised its stake in Linde by 2.8% in the third quarter. Towercrest Capital Management now owns 918 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $436,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC raised its stake in Linde by 55.6% in the third quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 70 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.80% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Linde

Here are the key news stories impacting Linde this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results exceeded expectations: Adjusted EPS was $4.59, above the $4.52 consensus and up 9% year over year, while sales rose 9.3% to $9.40 billion, topping the $9.16 billion estimate. Linde Reports Third-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Growth drivers remain intact: Higher pricing, volume growth in the Americas, strong electronics demand and AI-related semiconductor investment supported the quarter. Management also cited a $7.9 billion project backlog, providing visibility into future growth. LIN Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Restructuring and Growth Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their valuation targets: Barclays lifted its target from $577 to $591 and maintained an “overweight” rating, while RBC raised its target from $549 to $568 and upgraded or maintained an “outperform” view. The revisions signal continued confidence in Linde’s earnings durability and growth prospects.
• Neutral Sentiment: Underlying performance was stronger than reported GAAP results: GAAP net income declined 12% because of purchase-accounting effects and restructuring-related items, but adjusted net income increased 7% to $2.12 billion. Linde plc Q3 2026 Earnings Call Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Restructuring and near-term uncertainty temper the outlook: Linde expects a $425 million restructuring charge and guided fourth-quarter EPS to $4.40–$4.50. Uneven industrial demand, margin pressure and an evaluation of options for Lincare could limit near-term upside.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on LIN shares. Barclays increased their target price on Linde from $577.00 to $591.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Linde in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Linde from $549.00 to $568.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. DZ Bank restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Linde in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Linde in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Linde has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $550.14.

Linde Stock Performance

LIN opened at $514.24 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $483.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $492.35. The company has a market cap of $237.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.71. Linde PLC has a 52-week low of $387.78 and a 52-week high of $548.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The basic materials company reported $4.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.52 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $9.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.16 billion. Linde had a net margin of 19.34% and a return on equity of 20.32%. Linde's quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.21 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Thursday, December 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 3rd. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Linde's payout ratio is presently 41.34%.

Linde Profile

Linde plc NASDAQ: LIN is a global industrial gases and engineering company. It produces and distributes atmospheric gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and argon, as well as hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide and specialty gases. The company serves customers through packaged gases, bulk deliveries, on-site production and pipeline systems.

Linde's products and services support a broad range of industries, including healthcare, food and beverage, manufacturing, chemicals, energy, refining, electronics and metals.

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