Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) Shares Sold by Artemis Investment Management LLP

Artemis Investment Management LLP lessened its holdings in shares of Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 86.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 24,640 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 156,886 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP's holdings in Linde were worth $10,316,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its holdings 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 worth $30,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Kozak & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Linde during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Linde in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Linde in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of Linde during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 82.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Linde Trading Up 0.8 %

NASDAQ:LIN traded up $3.51 on Monday, hitting $436.00. The stock had a trading volume of 2,395,144 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,152,630. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $436.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $453.12. Linde plc has a 1-year low of $396.07 and a 1-year high of $487.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The stock has a market cap of $207.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.11, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.94.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last released 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 during 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 company's revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.63 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Linde plc will post 15.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Linde Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were given a dividend of $1.39 per share. This represents a $5.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 3rd. Linde's dividend payout ratio is currently 42.22%.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on LIN shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Linde from $477.00 to $507.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Mizuho increased their price target on Linde from $520.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Linde from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $480.00 to $515.00 in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Linde from $490.00 to $480.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Linde from $510.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Linde has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $495.75.

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.