Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) shares reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $522.89 and last traded at $519.1950, with a volume of 167531 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $515.59.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on LIN shares. Seaport Research Partners raised their price target on shares of Linde from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $600.00 price target on shares of Linde in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Linde from $525.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 price target on shares of Linde in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Linde from $580.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. One 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Linde has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $541.91.

Linde Trading Down 0.2%

The firm has a market cap of $237.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $503.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $469.71.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $8.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.60 billion. Linde had a net margin of 20.44% and a return on equity of 19.80%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.95 earnings per share. Linde has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.600-17.900 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 4.400-4.500 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Linde PLC will post 17.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Linde Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 4th will be given a $1.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Linde’s payout ratio is currently 42.50%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Linde

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LIN. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Linde in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID lifted its stake in shares of Linde by 96.6% during the 1st quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 57 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Linde during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Saranac Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Linde during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Linde by 1,450.0% during the 1st quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 62 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.80% of the company’s stock.

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.