Swedbank AB Sells 171,857 Shares of Linde PLC $LIN

Swedbank AB cut its position in Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) by 15.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 972,945 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 171,857 shares during the period. Swedbank AB owned about 0.21% of Linde worth $482,347,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LIN. Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC raised its holdings in Linde by 4.3% during the first quarter. Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC now owns 511 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $253,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Blalock Williams LLC lifted its position in shares of Linde by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Blalock Williams LLC now owns 510 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $217,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Linde by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,102 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $470,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Binnacle Investments Inc boosted its stake in shares of Linde by 10.2% in the second quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 237 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $111,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Finally, Baldwin Wealth Partners LLC MA grew its position 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 worth $303,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. 82.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Linde Price Performance

NASDAQ LIN traded down $2.88 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $537.64. 582,492 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,463,952. The company has a market capitalization of $248.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.72. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $511.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $484.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Linde PLC has a 12-month low of $387.78 and a 12-month high of $548.20.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $4.33 earnings per share (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 analysts’ expectations of $8.60 billion. Linde had a return on equity of 19.80% and a net margin of 20.44%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $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. As a group, analysts predict that Linde PLC will post 17.86 EPS for the current year.

Linde Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup began coverage on Linde in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $575.00 price target on shares of Linde in a research note on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Linde from $525.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Seaport Research Partners lifted their price objective 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $560.00 target price on shares of Linde in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $543.27.

Linde 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.