Rep. Thomas H. Kean, Jr. Buys Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) Stock

Representative Thomas H. Kean, Jr. (Republican-New Jersey) recently bought shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN). In a filing disclosed on March 18th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Linde stock on February 18th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “KEAN FAMILY PARTNERSHIP” account.

Representative Thomas H. Kean, Jr. also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Waters (NYSE:WAT) on 2/13/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of First Citizens BancShares (NASDAQ:FCNCA) on 2/5/2026.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) on 2/5/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) on 1/29/2026.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Stryker (NYSE:SYK) on 1/23/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) on 1/23/2026.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) on 1/23/2026.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) on 1/23/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of General Motors (NYSE:GM) on 1/7/2026.

Linde Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of LIN stock traded up $9.93 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $489.77. The company had a trading volume of 861,943 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,715,497. Linde PLC has a 1-year low of $387.78 and a 1-year 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 firm has a market cap of $226.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.59, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a 50 day moving average of $474.46 and a 200 day moving average of $450.67.

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

Linde Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on LIN shares. Erste Group Bank raised Linde from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Linde from $540.00 to $545.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Linde from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Linde in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Mizuho set a $525.00 price target on shares of Linde in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $515.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Linde news, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 9,455 shares of Linde stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $480.45, for a total value of $4,542,654.75. Following the sale, the vice president owned 22,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,636,202.10. This trade represents a 29.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sean Durbin sold 6,520 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 8,151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,890,227.77. This trade represents a 44.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,332 shares of company stock valued at $9,749,257. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Linde

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Purpose Unlimited Inc. bought a new position in Linde in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $95,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Linde by 22.2% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 325,158 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $138,645,000 after acquiring an additional 59,154 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors increased its position in shares of Linde by 38.9% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 3,829 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,632,000 after acquiring an additional 1,073 shares in the last quarter. Winthrop Partners WNY LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Linde during the fourth quarter worth $264,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Linde during the fourth quarter worth $239,000. 82.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Representative Kean

Thomas Kean Jr. (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2023. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Kean (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Thomas Kean Jr. lives in Westfield, New Jersey. Kean earned a master’s degree from the Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. His career experience includes working with the Environmental Protection Agency during the George H.W. Bush administration and as an advisor to former U.S. Representative Bob Franks, a firefighter, and an emergency medical technician. Kean has served as the vice president of a fire department.

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.