Vanguard Group Inc. Has $18.59 Billion Stake in Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN)

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,393,953 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 454,119 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 9.32% of Linde worth $18,586,416,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LIN. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Linde by 372.8% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,288,088 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,567,958,000 after purchasing an additional 2,592,682 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Linde by 56,467.9% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,097,982 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $459,692,000 after purchasing an additional 1,096,041 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of Linde by 2,293.0% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 782,461 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $327,593,000 after buying an additional 749,763 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Linde during the fourth quarter worth about $308,251,000. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its position in Linde by 467.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 827,979 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $374,780,000 after buying an additional 682,176 shares during the last quarter. 82.80% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Linde Stock Performance

Shares of Linde stock traded up $3.30 during trading on Thursday, hitting $464.73. 1,492,815 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,726,610. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $455.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $454.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $219.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.94. Linde plc has a 1-year low of $410.69 and a 1-year high of $487.49.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Linde Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.29%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This is a boost from Linde's previous quarterly dividend of $1.39. Linde's dividend payout ratio is 44.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on LIN. TD Cowen raised Linde from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $480.00 to $515.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Citigroup decreased their target price 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $501.82.

Insider Buying and Selling at Linde

In other Linde news, VP David P. Strauss sold 2,477 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $469.74, for a total value of $1,163,545.98. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,300 shares of the company's stock, valued at $610,662. This represents a 65.58 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert L. Wood sold 2,900 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was 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. This represents a 17.15 % 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 quarter. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Linde

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.