Forum Financial Management LP Buys 565 Shares of Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN)

Forum Financial Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 15.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,158 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 565 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP's holdings in Linde were worth $1,741,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital International Ltd. CA increased its position in Linde by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Ltd. CA now owns 44,182 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $18,498,000 after purchasing an additional 4,031 shares during the period. Capital Group Investment Management PTE. LTD. lifted its holdings in Linde by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Capital Group Investment Management PTE. LTD. now owns 9,142 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,827,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the period. Capital International Sarl grew its holdings in shares of Linde by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Sarl now owns 72,911 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,526,000 after acquiring an additional 9,360 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its stake in Linde by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 3,812,461 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,596,163,000 after purchasing an additional 12,500 shares during the period. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new position in Linde in the fourth quarter worth $1,700,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.80% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on LIN shares. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Linde to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Argus raised Linde to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, TD Cowen raised Linde from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $480.00 to $515.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $498.00.

Linde Stock Performance

Shares of Linde stock traded up $1.13 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $449.34. 843,261 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,942,801. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $454.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $450.75. Linde plc has a one year low of $408.65 and a one year high of $487.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $212.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.00, a P/E/G ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.94.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.93 by $0.04. Linde had a net margin of 19.89% and a return on equity of 18.71%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Linde plc will post 16.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Linde Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 13th were given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This is a boost from Linde's previous quarterly dividend of $1.39. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 13th. Linde's payout ratio is presently 44.09%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP David P. Strauss sold 2,477 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.74, for a total transaction of $1,163,545.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $610,662. This represents a 65.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Juergen Nowicki sold 6,782 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $459.62, for a total transaction of $3,117,142.84. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 14,765 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,786,289.30. The trade was a 31.48 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,159 shares of company stock worth $5,603,843. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

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.