Smith Salley Wealth Management Raises Stock Holdings in Linde PLC $LIN

Smith Salley Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) by 3.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 54,638 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,906 shares during the quarter. Linde comprises 1.4% of Smith Salley Wealth Management’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Smith Salley Wealth Management’s holdings in Linde were worth $27,087,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Evolve Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Linde by 39.9% during the first quarter. Evolve Private Wealth LLC now owns 3,029 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,502,000 after buying an additional 864 shares during the last quarter. Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC grew its position in shares of Linde by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC now owns 511 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $253,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners purchased a new position in shares of Linde in the 1st quarter worth approximately $465,000. Forbes J M & Co. LLP raised its stake in shares of Linde by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Forbes J M & Co. LLP now owns 39,025 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $19,347,000 after acquiring an additional 459 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IVC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Linde during the 1st quarter worth approximately $217,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.80% of the company’s stock.

Linde Stock Performance

Shares of Linde stock opened at $512.15 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $506.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $475.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $236.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.01, a PEG ratio of 3.21 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 PLC has a 52 week low of $387.78 and a 52 week high of $525.87.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.95 EPS. 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 expect that Linde PLC will post 17.86 EPS for the current year.

Linde Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LIN has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Linde from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Linde from $552.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Seaport Research Partners upped their price target on Linde from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $600.00 price objective on shares of Linde in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $575.00 price objective on shares of Linde in a research report on Monday, May 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $541.91.

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.