Smith Salley Wealth Management Boosts Stake in Linde PLC $LIN

Smith Salley Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 53,393 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,866 shares during the period. Linde comprises approximately 1.3% of Smith Salley Wealth Management’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Smith Salley Wealth Management’s holdings in Linde were worth $25,362,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Linde in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. YANKCOM Partnership grew its position in Linde by 195.2% in the third quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 62 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Albion Financial Group UT increased its position in Linde by 87.8% in the 3rd quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 77 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. eCIO Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Linde during the first quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Howard Hughes Medical Institute acquired a new stake in shares of Linde in the second quarter worth $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Linde from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Linde from $475.00 to $455.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Linde from $535.00 to $520.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $516.00 target price on shares of Linde in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Linde from $540.00 to $490.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $501.00.

Linde Stock Up 0.4%

LIN opened at $428.36 on Wednesday. Linde PLC has a fifty-two week low of $387.78 and a fifty-two week high of $486.38. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $418.58 and a 200-day moving average of $451.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company has a market capitalization of $200.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.85.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The basic materials company reported $4.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.18 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $8.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.62 billion. Linde had a net margin of 21.17% and a return on equity of 19.38%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.94 earnings per share. Linde has set its FY 2025 guidance at 16.350-16.450 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 4.100-4.200 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Linde PLC will post 16.54 EPS for the current year.

Linde Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 3rd were given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 3rd. Linde’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.19%.

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.