PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab Acquires Shares of 397,080 Linde PLC $LIN

Key Points

• PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired 397,080 shares of Linde in Q4, a stake valued at about $170.1 million and equating to roughly 0.09% of the company amid 82.8% institutional ownership.
• Linde's Q1 results beat expectations (EPS $4.33 vs. $4.27; revenue $8.78B, +8.2% YoY), management set FY‑2026 guidance of $17.60–$17.90 EPS and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.60 ($6.40 annual, ~1.3% yield).
• Insiders have been net sellers recently — executives disposed of 20,332 shares in the last 90 days worth about $9.75 million, including notable sales by EVP Sean Durbin and VP Guillermo Bichara that materially reduced their holdings.

PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new stake in shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 397,080 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $170,093,000. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab owned approximately 0.09% of Linde at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of LIN. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Linde by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,953,116 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $19,167,559,000 after purchasing an additional 354,800 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Linde by 0.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 19,319,583 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $9,176,828,000 after purchasing an additional 172,162 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in shares of Linde by 0.9% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 9,329,728 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $4,431,639,000 after purchasing an additional 83,236 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Linde by 6.0% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,287,566 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,036,594,000 after purchasing an additional 242,733 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Linde by 4.8% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,895,026 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,850,137,000 after purchasing an additional 176,650 shares in the last quarter. 82.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Sean Durbin sold 6,520 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $477.27, for a total value of $3,111,800.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,890,227.77. This represents a 44.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 9,455 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $480.45, for a total value of $4,542,654.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 22,138 shares in the company, valued at $10,636,202.10. This represents a 29.93% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 20,332 shares of company stock worth $9,749,257 in the last 90 days. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Linde Trading Up 1.4%

NASDAQ:LIN opened at $507.92 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $496.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $456.09. 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 $235.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.88.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 19.52% and a net margin of 20.30%.The firm had revenue of $8.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.60 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.95 earnings per share. The firm'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, research analysts forecast that Linde PLC will post 17.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Linde Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 4th will be issued a $1.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Linde's dividend payout ratio is currently 43.87%.

More Linde News

Here are the key news stories impacting Linde this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results topped expectations — adjusted EPS $4.33 vs. $4.27 consensus and revenue $8.78B (up ~8% YoY); management cited pricing and project start‑ups as growth drivers. Business Wire: Linde Reports First-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its dividend alongside the quarter, a shareholder‑friendly move that supports income and signals confidence in cash flow. Zacks: Linde Q1 Earnings Beat, Dividend Raised
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability remains strong — net margin (~20.3%) and ROE (~19.5%) indicate healthy cash conversion and operational leverage that support valuations. MarketBeat: Linde Q1 Summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Q2 guidance given at $4.40–$4.50 is essentially in line with the Street (consensus ~4.45), so near‑term guidance doesn’t materially surprise investors either way. Seeking Alpha: Q1 Results Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Management hosted an earnings call and published the slide deck/transcript — useful for assessing segment dynamics (industrial gases, projects) but no new strategic shifts announced. Seeking Alpha: Q1 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: FY 2026 guidance set to $17.60–$17.90 has a midpoint slightly below the current consensus (~17.83), which could be viewed as a modest disappointment if investors expected an upward revision. Zacks: What Key Metrics Say

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on LIN. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Linde from $545.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Seaport Research Partners increased their price target on shares of Linde from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Linde in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $530.00 price target on shares of Linde in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised shares of Linde from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $527.80.

Linde Company 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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