Linde PLC $LIN Shares Sold by Vest Financial LLC

Key Points

• Vest Financial reduced its Linde stake by 1.6% in the third quarter, selling 2,198 shares and retaining 136,996 shares valued at approximately $65.0 million. Institutional investors collectively own 82.8% of Linde.
• Linde reported quarterly revenue of $9.29 billion and EPS of $4.50, narrowly exceeding analyst estimates; revenue increased 9.3% year over year. The company guided to fiscal 2026 EPS of $17.70–$17.90.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with the stock carrying an overall “Buy” rating and an average price target of $547.10. Linde also pays a quarterly dividend of $1.60 per share, representing a 1.3% yield.

Vest Financial LLC cut its holdings in Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 136,996 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 2,198 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in Linde were worth $65,025,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Atwood & Palmer Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Linde by 12.9% in the 2nd quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 175 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $91,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. boosted its position in shares of Linde by 0.5% in the first quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 4,159 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,062,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Ellenbecker Investment Group grew its stake in Linde by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group now owns 652 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $323,000 after buying an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Principia Wealth Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Linde by 74.2% during the second quarter. Principia Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 54 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hoxton Planning & Management LLC lifted its position in Linde by 3.8% in the first quarter. Hoxton Planning & Management LLC now owns 648 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $321,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.80% of the company's stock.

Linde Stock Performance

NASDAQ LIN opened at $500.57 on Thursday. Linde PLC has a twelve month low of $387.78 and a twelve month high of $548.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $479.39 and a 200 day moving average of $498.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $230.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.34, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.71.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $4.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.49 by $0.01. Linde had a net margin of 20.43% and a return on equity of 20.09%. The company had revenue of $9.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.09 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Linde has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.700-17.900 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 4.450-4.550 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Linde PLC will post 17.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Linde Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd were given a dividend of $1.60 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 3rd. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Linde's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LIN has been the topic of several recent research reports. Evercore upped their price target on Linde from $515.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Argus cut their price objective on shares of Linde from $563.00 to $538.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Linde from $535.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Linde in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on Linde in a report on Monday, October 12th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $577.00 price target for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $547.10.

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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