EP Wealth Advisors LLC Buys 4,017 Shares of Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN)

EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 163.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,480 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,017 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Linde were worth $3,090,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Linde by 372.8% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,288,088 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,567,958,000 after purchasing an additional 2,592,682 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in shares of Linde during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $420,720,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Linde by 47,830.2% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 936,076 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $446,377,000 after buying an additional 934,123 shares during the period. AMF Tjanstepension AB grew its position in Linde by 108.7% in the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 784,477 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $374,086,000 after purchasing an additional 408,659 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in Linde by 131.6% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 621,444 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $296,342,000 after acquiring an additional 353,136 shares during the last quarter. 82.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Linde Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LIN traded down $6.86 on Monday, hitting $442.58. The stock had a trading volume of 2,833,866 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,858,530. The stock has a market cap of $210.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $464.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $455.40. Linde plc has a 52-week low of $396.07 and a 52-week high of $487.49.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.89 by $0.05. Linde had a return on equity of 18.16% and a net margin of 19.33%. The business had revenue of $8.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.39 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.63 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Linde plc will post 15.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Linde Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be issued a dividend of $1.39 per share. This represents a $5.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 3rd. Linde's dividend payout ratio is presently 42.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Linde from $477.00 to $507.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Erste Group Bank reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Linde in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Linde from $520.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Linde from $510.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $490.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at Linde

In other news, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 4,385 shares of Linde stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.73, for a total value of $2,020,301.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 22,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,493,586.48. The trade was a 16.14 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP John Panikar sold 10,025 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $462.75, for a total value of $4,639,068.75. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 17,584 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,136,996. The trade was a 36.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Linde Company Profile

Linde plc operates as an industrial gas company in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and South Pacific. It offers atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and rare gases; and process gases, such as carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, electronic gases, specialty gases, and acetylene.