Lingohr Asset Management GmbH Takes Position in Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN)

Lingohr Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in shares of Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 2,180 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $910,000. Linde accounts for approximately 1.9% of Lingohr Asset Management GmbH's holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest holding.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of LIN. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Linde during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Linde by 1,160.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 63 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Linde during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its stake in Linde by 144.8% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 71 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Linde during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors own 82.80% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LIN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup reduced their target price 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 raised Linde from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $480.00 to $515.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $501.82.

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Linde Price Performance

LIN traded up $0.76 on Monday, reaching $459.09. 2,049,518 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,724,670. Linde plc has a twelve month low of $410.69 and a twelve month high of $487.49. The stock has a market cap of $217.11 billion, a PE ratio of 33.73, a P/E/G 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. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $453.71 and its 200-day moving average price is $454.18.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last released 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 net margin of 19.89% and a return on equity of 18.71%. Sell-side analysts expect that Linde plc will post 16.54 EPS for the current year.

Linde Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 13th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. This is a boost from Linde's previous quarterly dividend of $1.39. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. Linde's dividend payout ratio is presently 44.09%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Robert L. Wood sold 2,900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $456.26, for a total transaction of $1,323,154.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,013 shares in the company, valued at $6,393,571.38. This trade represents a 17.15 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Juergen Nowicki sold 6,782 shares of Linde stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $459.62, for a total transaction of $3,117,142.84. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,765 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,786,289.30. The trade was a 31.48 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,159 shares of company stock valued at $5,603,843 in the last three months. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.