Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) Given Average Rating of "Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: "Buy" — 11 brokers cover Linde (9 buys, 1 strong buy, 1 hold) with an average 1‑year price target of $521.60 and several firms (e.g., Citi, UBS) recently raising targets into the high $500s.
• Notable insider selling — insiders sold 20,332 shares worth about $9.75 million last quarter, including VP Guillermo Bichara and EVP Sean Durbin, who materially reduced their holdings.
• Solid results and shareholder return — Linde beat Q results (EPS $4.20 vs. $4.18 consensus), set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $17.40–$17.90, and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.60 ($6.40 annual; ~1.3% yield).

Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Buy" from the eleven research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $521.60.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. DZ Bank cut shares of Linde from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $460.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Linde from $545.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Linde from $550.00 to $579.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Linde from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $530.00 price target on shares of Linde in a research note on Friday, February 6th.

Insider Transactions at Linde

In related news, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 9,455 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $480.45, for a total value of $4,542,654.75. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 22,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,636,202.10. This represents a 29.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sean Durbin sold 6,520 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $477.27, for a total transaction of $3,111,800.40. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 20,332 shares of company stock worth $9,749,257. 0.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Linde in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Linde in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Triumph Capital Management grew its stake in Linde by 69.2% in the 4th quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 66 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership grew its position in shares of Linde by 195.2% during the 3rd quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 62 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in shares of Linde during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.80% of the company's stock.

Linde Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of LIN stock opened at $494.62 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.88. The firm's 50-day moving average is $493.87 and its 200-day moving average is $454.20. The stock has a market cap of $229.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.90, a PEG ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.78. Linde has a 52-week low of $387.78 and a 52-week high of $510.65.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $4.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.18 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $8.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.64 billion. Linde had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 19.52%. Linde's quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.97 EPS. Linde has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 4.200-4.300 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 17.400-17.900 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Linde will post 17.8 EPS for the current year.

Linde Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 11th were paid a $1.60 dividend. This is an increase from Linde's previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 11th. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Linde's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.87%.

About Linde

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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