Linde PLC $LIN Shares Bought by Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC

Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) by 81.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 48,552 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 21,794 shares during the quarter. Linde makes up 0.8% of Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Linde were worth $23,062,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Linde in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Linde during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. YANKCOM Partnership raised its position in shares of Linde by 195.2% during the 3rd quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 62 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Guerra Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Linde during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in shares of Linde in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. 82.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Linde

In related news, EVP Sean Durbin sold 6,520 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $477.27, for a total value of $3,111,800.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,151 shares in the company, valued at $3,890,227.77. This represents a 44.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 9,455 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $480.45, for a total transaction of $4,542,654.75. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 22,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,636,202.10. The trade was a 29.93% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 20,332 shares of company stock valued at $9,749,257 in the last quarter. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on LIN shares. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Linde in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Linde in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Linde from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Mizuho set a $525.00 price target on shares of Linde in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised shares of Linde from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $515.20.

Linde Stock Up 0.7%

LIN opened at $493.92 on Friday. Linde PLC has a 12 month low of $387.78 and a 12 month high of $510.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market cap of $228.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.85, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.82. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $467.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $450.27.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $4.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.18 by $0.02. Linde had a return on equity of 19.52% and a net margin of 20.30%.The firm had revenue of $8.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.97 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. Linde has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 4.200-4.300 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 17.400-17.900 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Linde PLC will post 16.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Linde Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 11th will be issued a $1.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 11th. This is an increase from Linde’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Linde’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.87%.

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.