Savant Capital LLC Cuts Holdings in Linde PLC $LIN

Savant Capital LLC decreased its position in shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) by 18.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,456 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,957 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Linde were worth $3,606,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Linde during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in shares of Linde during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new position in shares of Linde during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Saranac Partners Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Linde in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in shares of Linde in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.80% of the company’s stock.

Linde Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LIN opened at $497.69 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $230.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.05, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.73. Linde PLC has a 12 month low of $387.78 and a 12 month high of $521.28. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $501.29 and its 200 day moving average is $465.31. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $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. Research analysts predict that Linde PLC will post 17.86 EPS for the current year.

Linde Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on LIN shares. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $530.00 target price on shares of Linde in a report on Friday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $575.00 target price on shares of Linde in a report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Linde from $525.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. DZ Bank downgraded shares of Linde from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $460.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Linde from $580.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. One 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Linde currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $540.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 4,357 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $480.79, for a total transaction of $2,094,802.03. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 22,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,643,729.02. This represents a 16.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sean Durbin sold 6,520 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $477.27, for a total transaction of $3,111,800.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,151 shares in the company, valued at $3,890,227.77. The trade was a 44.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.