Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ Buys 22,209 Shares of Linde PLC $LIN

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ grew its stake in shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) by 14.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 171,299 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 22,209 shares during the quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ’s holdings in Linde were worth $84,923,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Linde in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Triumph Capital Management lifted its stake in Linde by 69.2% during the fourth quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 66 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in shares of Linde in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Saranac Partners Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Linde in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Strengthening Families & Communities LLC increased its position in shares of Linde by 134.5% during the 4th quarter. Strengthening Families & Communities LLC now owns 68 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. 82.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Linde Price Performance

LIN opened at $511.06 on Tuesday. 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 PLC has a 52-week low of $387.78 and a 52-week high of $527.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $236.29 billion, a PE ratio of 33.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.72. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $508.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $480.66.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $8.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.60 billion. Linde had a net margin of 20.44% and a return on equity of 19.80%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $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. On average, equities research analysts predict that Linde PLC will post 17.86 EPS for the current year.

Linde Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 4th were given a dividend of $1.60 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Linde’s payout ratio is currently 42.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on LIN. Citigroup started coverage on Linde in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised Linde from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Seaport Research Partners increased their price target on shares of Linde from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $600.00 price objective on shares of Linde in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $575.00 price objective on shares of Linde in a research note on Monday, May 4th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $543.27.

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.