Linde PLC $LIN Shares Sold by Sterling Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Sterling Capital Management reduced its Linde stake by 16.2% in the first quarter, selling 24,543 shares and leaving it with 126,919 shares worth about $62.9 million.
• Linde reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $4.33 beating estimates and revenue of $8.78 billion topping forecasts; revenue also rose 8.2% year over year.
• The company maintained a solid dividend, paying $1.60 per share for a 1.2% yield, while analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus Buy rating and price target of $543.27.

Sterling Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 16.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 126,919 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 24,543 shares during the period. Linde makes up approximately 1.2% of Sterling Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Sterling Capital Management LLC's holdings in Linde were worth $62,921,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Linde in the 4th quarter worth about $3,246,750,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Linde by 10,454.4% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 2,424,869 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,033,940,000 after purchasing an additional 2,401,894 shares during the period. Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its position in Linde by 42,539.0% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 1,321,809 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $56,361,000 after purchasing an additional 1,318,709 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its position in Linde by 20.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 7,610,387 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,245,255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,275,477 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in Linde by 40.2% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 3,941,719 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,680,710,000 after buying an additional 1,130,001 shares during the period. 82.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Linde Trading Down 0.5%

NASDAQ LIN opened at $519.89 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $240.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.52, a PEG ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.72. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $507.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $479.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Linde PLC has a 52 week low of $387.78 and a 52 week high of $527.94.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 last year, the business earned $3.95 EPS. The business's revenue 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. Equities research analysts predict that Linde PLC will post 17.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Linde Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 4th were paid a dividend of $1.60 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Linde's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LIN has been the topic of a number of research reports. Seaport Research Partners raised their target price on shares of Linde from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $560.00 price target on shares of Linde in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Linde from $552.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Citigroup started coverage on Linde in a research note on Wednesday. They set an "overweight" rating on the stock. Finally, 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $543.27.

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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