Victory Capital Management Inc. Purchases 4,055 Shares of Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN)

Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 384,520 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,055 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of Linde worth $160,987,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Linde in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Linde in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its stake in shares of Linde by 144.8% in the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 71 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Linde in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Kozak & Associates Inc. grew its stake in shares of Linde by 38.6% in the 4th quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. now owns 97 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. 82.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Linde Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LIN traded up $2.61 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $468.77. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,823,990 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,339,896. Linde plc has a 12-month low of $410.69 and a 12-month high of $487.49. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $444.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $455.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $221.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.44, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.76.

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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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.93 by $0.04. Linde had a return on equity of 18.71% and a net margin of 19.89%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Linde plc will post 16.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Linde Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 13th. This is a boost from Linde's previous quarterly dividend of $1.39. Linde's payout ratio is 44.09%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert L. Wood sold 2,900 shares of Linde 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 sale, the director now owns 14,013 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,393,571.38. The trade was a 17.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP David P. Strauss sold 2,477 shares of the business'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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,300 shares in the company, valued at $610,662. The trade was a 65.58 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 14,377 shares of company stock valued at $6,567,231. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup cut their price target on Linde from $490.00 to $480.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. TD Cowen upgraded Linde from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $480.00 to $515.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Linde in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Linde currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $501.82.

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.