Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Sells 6,280 Shares of Linde PLC $LIN

Key Points

• Meiji Yasuda Asset Management cut its Linde stake by 34.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 6,280 shares and leaving it with 12,121 shares valued at about $5.17 million.
• Several Linde insiders also sold stock recently, including VP Guillermo Bichara and EVP Sean Durbin, whose transactions reduced their holdings by 16.44% and 44.44%, respectively.
• Linde reported strong quarterly results, beating earnings and revenue estimates, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.60 per share, implying a 1.2% yield.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. trimmed its position in Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 34.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,121 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 6,280 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.'s holdings in Linde were worth $5,168,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Linde during the second quarter worth about $25,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new stake in Linde during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Guerra Advisors Inc bought a new stake in Linde during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Saranac Partners Ltd bought a new stake in Linde during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in Linde during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 82.80% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Linde

In other Linde news, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 4,357 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $480.79, for a total value of $2,094,802.03. Following the sale, the vice president owned 22,138 shares in the company, valued at $10,643,729.02. This represents a 16.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Sean Durbin sold 6,520 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $477.27, for a total value of $3,111,800.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,151 shares in the company, valued at $3,890,227.77. This represents a 44.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Linde Price Performance

NASDAQ:LIN opened at $517.58 on Friday. 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's 50 day moving average price is $499.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $462.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $239.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.37, a P/E/G ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.73. Linde PLC has a 12-month low of $387.78 and a 12-month high of $521.28.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $8.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.60 billion. Linde had a return on equity of 19.80% and a net margin of 20.44%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.95 earnings per share. 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 anticipate that Linde PLC will post 17.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Linde Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 4th will be paid a $1.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Linde's dividend payout ratio is currently 42.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho set a $525.00 target price on Linde in a report on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $530.00 target price on shares of Linde in a report on Friday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $575.00 target price on shares of Linde in a report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Linde from $525.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners upped their target price on Linde from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. One 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $540.00.

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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