Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE Purchases Shares of 3,746 Linde PLC $LIN

Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE acquired a new stake in shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 3,746 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,857,000.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Linde during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in Linde during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Saranac Partners Ltd purchased a new position in Linde in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Triumph Capital Management lifted its position in Linde by 69.2% in the fourth quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 66 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strengthening Families & Communities LLC lifted its position in Linde by 134.5% in the fourth quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 68 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.80% of the company’s stock.

Linde Stock Performance

Shares of LIN stock opened at $533.55 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $509.44 and a 200 day moving average of $482.47. Linde PLC has a 52 week low of $387.78 and a 52 week high of $538.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $246.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.43, a PEG ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.72. 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 (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, 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 business had revenue of $8.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.95 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, research 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 was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 4th were paid a $1.60 dividend. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 4th. Linde’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on LIN. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $600.00 target price on shares of Linde in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 price target on shares of Linde in a research report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Linde from $525.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Linde from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners upped their price objective on shares of Linde from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. One research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus 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.