Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) is GAM Holding AG's 4th Largest Position

GAM Holding AG cut its stake in Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 28.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 120,144 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 48,403 shares during the quarter. Linde comprises about 3.8% of GAM Holding AG's holdings, making the stock its 4th largest position. GAM Holding AG's holdings in Linde were worth $50,301,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LIN. Helios Capital Management PTE. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Linde by 85.2% during the 4th quarter. Helios Capital Management PTE. Ltd. now owns 2,500 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,047,000 after buying an additional 1,150 shares in the last quarter. Channel Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Linde by 30.4% during the 4th quarter. Channel Wealth LLC now owns 7,385 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,092,000 after purchasing an additional 1,723 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in shares of Linde by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 79,472 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $37,898,000 after buying an additional 5,021 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in shares of Linde by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,145,643 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $898,188,000 after acquiring an additional 46,843 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SYM FINANCIAL Corp bought a new stake in Linde in the fourth quarter worth $625,000. 82.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on LIN shares. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Linde from $520.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Citigroup reduced their price target on Linde from $490.00 to $480.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Linde in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Linde from $510.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Linde from $477.00 to $507.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $501.82.

Linde Stock Performance

LIN traded up $0.48 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $462.38. 491,986 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,206,925. The company's 50-day moving average is $436.43 and its 200 day moving average is $454.23. 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 $220.17 billion, a PE ratio of 33.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.94. Linde plc has a 52 week low of $410.69 and a 52 week high of $487.49.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.97 earnings per share 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, research analysts expect that Linde plc will post 16.54 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert L. Wood sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $456.26, for a total value of $1,323,154.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 14,013 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,393,571.38. This represents a 17.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 4,385 shares of Linde stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.73, for a total transaction of $2,020,301.05. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 22,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,493,586.48. This trade represents a 16.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 9,503 shares of company stock valued at $4,306,843. 0.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Linde 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.