Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Acquires 15,649 Shares of Linde PLC $LIN

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) by 8.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 195,463 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,649 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Linde were worth $83,343,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Blalock Williams LLC increased its stake in shares of Linde by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Blalock Williams LLC now owns 510 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $217,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Linde by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,102 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $470,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc increased its stake in shares of Linde by 10.2% during the second quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 237 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Baldwin Wealth Partners LLC MA increased its stake in shares of Linde by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Baldwin Wealth Partners LLC MA now owns 711 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $303,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mayport LLC increased its stake in shares of Linde by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Mayport LLC now owns 504 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $215,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.80% of the company’s stock.

Linde Trading Up 1.6%

NASDAQ:LIN opened at $523.57 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $504.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $471.51. Linde PLC has a 52 week low of $387.78 and a 52 week high of $525.82. 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 stock has a market cap of $242.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.77, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.72.

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

Linde Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 4th will be issued a dividend of $1.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Linde’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on LIN shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $600.00 target price on shares of Linde in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 price target on shares of Linde in a report on Monday, May 4th. Seaport Research Partners increased their price target on shares of Linde from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $560.00 price target on shares of Linde in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Linde from $580.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average 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.