Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) Shares Purchased by Premier Fund Managers Ltd

Premier Fund Managers Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 16.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 45,069 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,297 shares during the period. Premier Fund Managers Ltd's holdings in Linde were worth $21,605,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in shares of Linde by 46.9% in the 1st quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 48,211 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $20,593,000 after purchasing an additional 15,393 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Linde by 40.7% in the first quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 8,075 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,750,000 after buying an additional 2,337 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its position in Linde by 4.4% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 54,975 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $26,215,000 after buying an additional 2,312 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake in Linde by 28.7% during the first quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 20,071 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $9,319,000 after buying an additional 4,479 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Linde by 3.1% in the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 51,540 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $22,616,000 after acquiring an additional 1,564 shares in the last quarter. 82.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Linde Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LIN traded up $1.39 on Wednesday, reaching $445.45. 429,979 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,831,078. The business's 50-day moving average is $469.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $453.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Linde plc has a fifty-two week low of $396.07 and a fifty-two week high of $487.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $212.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.72, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Linde Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be paid a $1.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $5.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.25%. Linde's payout ratio is 42.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LIN has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Linde from $460.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Linde from $510.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America boosted their price target on Linde from $495.00 to $516.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Linde in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Linde from $520.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $490.75.

Insider Transactions at Linde

In related news, VP John Panikar sold 10,025 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $462.75, for a total transaction of $4,639,068.75. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 17,584 shares in the company, valued at $8,136,996. This trade represents a 36.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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.