Linde PLC $LIN Shares Acquired by Investment Management Corp of Ontario

Investment Management Corp of Ontario grew its position in Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) by 56.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 45,170 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,264 shares during the quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario’s holdings in Linde were worth $19,260,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Linde in the 4th quarter valued at $3,246,750,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Linde by 10,454.4% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 2,424,869 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,033,940,000 after buying an additional 2,401,894 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its position in shares of Linde by 20.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 7,610,387 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,245,255,000 after buying an additional 1,275,477 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its stake in shares of Linde by 40.2% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 3,941,719 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,680,710,000 after buying an additional 1,130,001 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Linde in the third quarter worth about $453,274,000. 82.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Linde Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of LIN opened at $515.85 on Thursday. Linde PLC has a 12-month low of $387.78 and a 12-month high of $525.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $238.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.72. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $505.88 and a 200 day moving average price of $474.29. 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 earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $8.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.60 billion. Linde had a net margin of 20.44% and a return on equity of 19.80%. Linde’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.95 earnings per share. Linde has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.600-17.900 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 4.400-4.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Linde PLC will post 17.86 EPS for the current year.

Linde Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 4th will be issued a $1.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is 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 currently 42.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Linde from $580.00 to $585.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Linde from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $600.00 target price on shares of Linde in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Linde from $552.00 to $570.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Linde from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target 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.