Linde PLC $LIN Stock Position Lifted by Smartleaf Asset Management LLC

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) by 40.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,563 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,885 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Linde were worth $3,127,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Markel Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Linde by 3.1% during the second quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 186,600 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $87,549,000 after acquiring an additional 5,600 shares during the period. National Pension Service grew its position in Linde by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 967,516 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $459,570,000 after purchasing an additional 24,624 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in Linde by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 205,318 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $97,526,000 after purchasing an additional 22,489 shares in the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp raised its stake in Linde by 27.2% during the 2nd quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 417,001 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $195,649,000 after purchasing an additional 89,129 shares during the period. Finally, Generali Asset Management SPA SGR lifted its holdings in shares of Linde by 14.0% in the third quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 44,981 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $21,366,000 after purchasing an additional 5,526 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.80% of the company’s stock.

Linde News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Linde this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat estimates: adjusted EPS $4.20 (vs. $4.18 consensus) and revenue $8.76B (+6% YoY), showing margin resilience and underlying demand. Businesswire: Linde Reports Full-Year and Fourth-Quarter 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year operating profit reported at $8.9B, indicating solid profitability for 2025. Gasworld: Linde reports full year operating profit of $8.9bn
• Positive Sentiment: Company cites record backlog and restructuring initiatives as drivers of steady growth and the 2026 outlook (EPS target $17.40–$17.90). MSN: Linde sees another year of steady growth as Q4 results beat forecasts
• Neutral Sentiment: Management set FY2026 EPS guidance at $17.40–$17.90 and Q1 at $4.20–$4.30 — roughly in line with consensus but tight to the low side of estimates, leaving little upside surprise potential. Linde FY2026 guidance (slide deck)
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan reaffirmed a “neutral” rating with a $455 price target (only modest upside from current levels), signaling limited near-term analyst-driven buy pressure. Benzinga: JPMorgan reaffirms neutral on Linde
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: shares fell after guidance was viewed as disappointing relative to expectations despite the earnings beat; coverage and headlines highlighted the guidance miss. Investing.com: Linde shares fall over 2% as 2026 guidance disappoints
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/headcount action: Linde announced engineering job cuts as it addresses supply-chain challenges — short-term disruption and execution risk that can worry investors. Gasworld: Linde cuts jobs in engineering

Linde Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of NASDAQ LIN opened at $448.24 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $431.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $447.66. Linde PLC has a 52 week low of $387.78 and a 52 week high of $486.38. The stock has a market cap of $209.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.72, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.88.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $4.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.18 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $8.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.64 billion. Linde had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 19.52%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.97 earnings per share. Linde has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 4.200-4.300 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 17.400-17.900 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Linde PLC will post 16.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on LIN. UBS Group lifted their price target on Linde from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Linde in a research report on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $455.00 target price on shares of Linde in a report on Friday. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Linde in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $510.00 price target for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $501.00 price target on shares of Linde in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $513.56.

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.