Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $548.20 and last traded at $539.1630, with a volume of 244118 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $540.52.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on LIN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Linde from $525.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Citigroup began coverage on Linde in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $560.00 price target on shares of Linde in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $600.00 price objective on shares of Linde in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 price objective on shares of Linde in a research note on Monday, May 4th. One equities 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Linde has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $543.27.

Linde Trading Down 2.0%

The company has a market cap of $243.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.72. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $513.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $486.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.83.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last issued its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $8.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.60 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.95 EPS. Linde’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, analysts expect that Linde PLC will post 17.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Linde Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 4th were paid a $1.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Linde’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.50%.

Institutional Trading of Linde

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Linde during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,246,750,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Linde by 10,454.4% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 2,424,869 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,033,940,000 after purchasing an additional 2,401,894 shares during the last quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its holdings in Linde by 42,539.0% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 1,321,809 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $56,361,000 after purchasing an additional 1,318,709 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in Linde by 20.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 7,610,387 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,245,255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,275,477 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in Linde by 40.2% during 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 purchasing an additional 1,130,001 shares during the period. 82.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Linde Company 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.