Linde PLC $LIN Stock Holdings Raised by DNB Asset Management AS

Key Points

• DNB Asset Management AS increased its Linde stake by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 104,014 shares valued at about $44.35 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high at 82.8%, and several other funds also recently boosted or initiated positions in Linde, including a large increase by SG Americas Securities LLC.
• Linde reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings and revenue, and the company’s stock is supported by broadly positive analyst coverage with a consensus rating of "Buy" and a target price around $540.

DNB Asset Management AS raised its stake in Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 3.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 104,014 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,840 shares during the period. DNB Asset Management AS's holdings in Linde were worth $44,351,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of LIN. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Linde by 10,454.4% in 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 last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Linde in the 3rd quarter worth about $453,274,000. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in shares of Linde in the 3rd quarter worth about $260,822,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of Linde by 34.5% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,124,882 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $910,129,000 after purchasing an additional 544,850 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Linde in the 3rd quarter worth about $206,747,000. Institutional investors own 82.80% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Linde

In other Linde news, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 4,357 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $480.79, for a total transaction of $2,094,802.03. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 22,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,643,729.02. The trade was a 16.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Sean Durbin sold 6,520 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $477.27, for a total transaction of $3,111,800.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,151 shares in the company, valued at $3,890,227.77. This trade represents a 44.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 20,332 shares of company stock worth $9,749,257 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on LIN. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $560.00 target price on shares of Linde in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Linde from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $530.00 target price on shares of Linde in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Linde from $552.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners lifted their price target on shares of Linde from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $540.00.

Linde Stock Down 1.1%

LIN stock opened at $506.11 on Friday. Linde PLC has a 52 week low of $387.78 and a 52 week high of $521.28. The company has a market capitalization of $234.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.73. The firm's 50-day moving average is $497.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $459.41. 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 (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $4.33 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 company had revenue of $8.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.95 EPS. Linde'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. On average, analysts forecast that Linde PLC will post 17.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Linde Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 4th will be given a dividend of $1.60 per share. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. Linde's payout ratio is 42.50%.

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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