Prudential PLC Raises Stock Holdings in Linde PLC $LIN

Key Points

• Prudential PLC boosted its stake in Linde by 242.8% in the fourth quarter, adding 33,969 shares to end with 47,958 shares valued at about $20.45 million.
• Linde reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $4.33 versus $4.27 expected and revenue of $8.78 billion, while also issuing FY 2026 guidance of $17.60–$17.90 EPS.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.60 per share, and Wall Street remains bullish overall with a consensus Buy rating and average price target of $541.91.

Prudential PLC grew its stake in Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 242.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 47,958 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 33,969 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC's holdings in Linde were worth $20,449,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Blalock Williams LLC lifted its position in shares of Linde by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Blalock Williams LLC now owns 510 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $217,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC lifted its position in Linde by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,102 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $470,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. Binnacle Investments Inc lifted its position in Linde by 10.2% during the second quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 237 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $111,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. Baldwin Wealth Partners LLC MA lifted its position in Linde by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Baldwin Wealth Partners LLC MA now owns 711 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $303,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the period. Finally, Mayport LLC lifted its position in Linde by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Mayport LLC now owns 504 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $215,000 after buying an additional 23 shares during the period. 82.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Linde Stock Performance

Linde stock opened at $507.45 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $502.74 and its 200-day moving average is $467.74. The company has a market cap of $234.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.69. 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 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $8.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.60 billion. Linde had a return on equity of 19.80% and a net margin of 20.44%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.95 EPS. 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 analysts anticipate that Linde PLC will post 17.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Linde Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Linde's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.50%.

Insider Transactions at Linde

In other news, EVP Sean Durbin sold 6,520 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,890,227.77. This trade represents a 44.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 4,357 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $480.79, for a total value of $2,094,802.03. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 22,138 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,643,729.02. This trade represents a 16.44% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on LIN. Citigroup increased their target price on Linde from $580.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Seaport Research Partners increased their target price on Linde from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. DZ Bank downgraded Linde from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $460.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Mizuho set a $525.00 target price on Linde in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Linde from $552.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Linde presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $541.91.

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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