Seaport Res Ptn Estimates Linde's Q1 Earnings (NASDAQ:LIN)

Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) - Seaport Res Ptn increased their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Linde in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, April 21st. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now expects that the basic materials company will earn $3.96 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $3.92. The consensus estimate for Linde's current full-year earnings is $16.54 per share.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.93 by $0.04. Linde had a return on equity of 18.71% and a net margin of 19.89%.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on LIN. Argus upgraded shares of Linde to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Linde to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded Linde from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $480.00 to $515.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $498.00.

Linde Stock Down 0.7 %

LIN stock traded down $3.35 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $445.05. 519,131 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,945,375. The stock has a market cap of $210.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Linde has a 1 year low of $408.65 and a 1 year high of $487.49. The firm's 50 day moving average is $454.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $450.24.

Institutional Trading of Linde

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LIN. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Linde in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in Linde by 1,160.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 63 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new position in Linde in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its stake in Linde by 144.8% in the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 71 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Linde during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 82.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Linde

In related news, VP Juergen Nowicki sold 6,782 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $459.62, for a total value of $3,117,142.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,765 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,786,289.30. This represents a 31.48 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Robert L. Wood sold 2,900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $456.26, for a total transaction of $1,323,154.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 14,013 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,393,571.38. The trade was a 17.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 12,159 shares of company stock worth $5,603,843. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Linde Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were issued a $1.50 dividend. This is an increase from Linde's previous quarterly dividend of $1.39. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.35%. Linde's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.09%.

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.