Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) Shares Sold by Polar Capital Holdings Plc

Polar Capital Holdings Plc reduced its position in shares of Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 23.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,865 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 12,190 shares during the period. Polar Capital Holdings Plc's holdings in Linde were worth $16,272,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Linde in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Linde by 1,160.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 63 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Linde in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Linde in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Linde in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. 82.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on LIN. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Linde to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Argus upgraded shares of Linde to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $503.11.

Linde Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:LIN opened at $454.22 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $213.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.00. Linde plc has a 1-year low of $408.65 and a 1-year high of $487.49. The company's fifty day moving average is $450.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $447.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.89.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.95 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.92 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $8.11 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.24 billion. Linde had a net margin of 19.89% and a return on equity of 18.71%. The company's quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.75 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Linde plc will post 16.54 EPS for the current year.

Linde Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 4th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.32%. Linde's dividend payout ratio is currently 43.57%.

Insider Transactions at Linde

In related news, VP David P. Strauss sold 2,477 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.74, for a total value of $1,163,545.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,300 shares in the company, valued at $610,662. This represents a 65.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Juergen Nowicki sold 6,782 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $459.62, for a total transaction of $3,117,142.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,765 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,786,289.30. This represents a 31.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Linde Company Profile

Linde plc operates as an industrial gas company in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and South Pacific. It offers atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and rare gases; and process gases, such as carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, electronic gases, specialty gases, and acetylene.

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