Linde PLC $LIN Holdings Raised by Clearbridge Investments LLC

Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,476,011 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 64,123 shares during the quarter. Linde comprises about 0.8% of Clearbridge Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in Linde were worth $1,055,746,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LIN. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new stake in shares of Linde during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,752,000. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Linde by 14.1% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 777 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $325,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Linde by 19.8% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,569 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $736,000 after acquiring an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in Linde by 19.3% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 897 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $421,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC raised its position in Linde by 3.2% in the second quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 5,625 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,639,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. 82.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Linde Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of LIN opened at $507.90 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $503.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $468.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $234.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.72. Linde PLC has a 1-year low of $387.78 and a 1-year high of $521.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

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

Linde Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 4th will be paid a $1.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Linde’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.50%.

Insider Transactions at Linde

In related news, EVP Sean Durbin sold 6,520 shares of Linde stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $477.27, for a total value of $3,111,800.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,890,227.77. This trade represents a 44.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 4,357 shares of Linde stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $480.79, for a total value of $2,094,802.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 22,138 shares in the company, valued at $10,643,729.02. This represents a 16.44% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $560.00 price target on shares of Linde in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Linde from $552.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Linde from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $575.00 price target on shares of Linde in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $600.00 price target on shares of Linde in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $541.91.

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.