Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) Receives $490.75 Consensus PT from Analysts

Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the fifteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $490.75.

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Linde from $520.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Linde from $490.00 to $480.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Linde from $477.00 to $507.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price 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, Erste Group Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of Linde in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th.

Insider Activity

In other Linde news, Director Paula Rosput Reynolds bought 100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $441.34 per share, with a total value of $44,134.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 233 shares of the company's stock, valued at $102,832.22. This represents a 75.19 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP David P. Strauss sold 2,218 shares of Linde stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.35, for a total value of $963,388.30. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 25,926 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,260,958.10. This trade represents a 7.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Linde

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LIN. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its position in shares of Linde by 144.8% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 71 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Linde in the second quarter valued at $33,000. Kozak & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Linde in the third quarter valued at $34,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Linde during the third quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its position in shares of Linde by 133.3% during the second quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 98 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. 82.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Linde Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ LIN traded down $0.67 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $413.50. 1,995,891 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,054,045. The stock has a market capitalization of $196.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.40, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.96. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $446.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $454.18. Linde has a twelve month low of $396.07 and a twelve month high of $487.49.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.94 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $8.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.39 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.63 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Linde will post 15.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Linde Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were given a $1.39 dividend. This represents a $5.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 3rd. Linde's dividend payout ratio is currently 42.22%.

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.