Rep. Kevin Hern Unloads Shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN)

Representative Kevin Hern (Republican-Oklahoma) recently sold shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN). In a filing disclosed on October 13th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $15,001 and $50,000 in Linde stock on September 17th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “HERN FAMILY REVOCABLE TRUST” account.

Representative Kevin Hern also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) on 10/2/2026.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) on 9/23/2026.
• Sold $50,001 – $100,000 in shares of Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN) on 9/23/2026.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN) on 9/23/2026.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) on 9/23/2026.
• Sold $50,001 – $100,000 in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) on 9/23/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Home Depot (NYSE:HD) on 9/23/2026.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) on 9/23/2026.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Chevron (NYSE:CVX) on 9/23/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Chubb (NYSE:CB) on 9/23/2026.

Linde Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of LIN stock opened at $492.70 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $478.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $498.13. The firm has a market cap of $227.12 billion, a PE ratio of 31.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.71. Linde PLC has a 1-year low of $387.78 and a 1-year high of $548.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.75.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last posted its earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $4.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.49 by $0.01. Linde had a net margin of 20.43% and a return on equity of 20.09%. The firm had revenue of $9.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.09 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Linde has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.700-17.900 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 4.450-4.550 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Linde PLC will post 17.86 EPS for the current year.

Linde Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.60 per share. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 3rd. Linde’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on Linde from $580.00 to $575.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Barclays began coverage on Linde in a research note on Monday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $577.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group lowered their target price on Linde from $612.00 to $574.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 5th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Linde from $580.00 to $560.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Linde in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Linde has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $547.29.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Linde

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID lifted its stake in Linde by 96.6% during the first quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 57 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Principia Wealth Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Linde by 74.2% in the second quarter. Principia Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 54 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Marquette Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Linde in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC increased its stake in Linde by 1,450.0% in the first quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 62 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Polaris Financial Partners purchased a new position in Linde in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 82.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Representative Hern

Kevin Hern (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District. He assumed office on November 13, 2018. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Hern (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Kevin Hern went into business as a McDonald’s franchisee in 1999. He acquired 10 McDonald’s franchises by 2012. He served on the McDonald’s National Leadership Team for 13 years, including the tax policy team, the insurance corporation, and as chairman of the economics team. From 2011 to 2015, he was chairman of the finance committee of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.

Linde Company Profile

Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) is a global industrial gases and engineering company that supplies gases, related equipment and process technologies to customers in healthcare, manufacturing, chemicals, energy, food and beverage, electronics, and other industries. Its products include oxygen, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide and specialty gases.

The company provides gases through on-site production facilities, pipelines, bulk deliveries and packaged cylinders. It also designs and builds industrial gas plants and offers technologies and services for applications such as hydrogen production, carbon capture, clean energy, semiconductor manufacturing, metal fabrication and medical care.

Linde traces its history to 1879, when German engineer Carl von Linde developed refrigeration and gas-related technologies.