Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the fourteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $490.75.

LIN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Linde from $510.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Linde from $430.00 to $480.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Linde from $460.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Linde from $495.00 to $516.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Linde from $477.00 to $507.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st.

Linde Price Performance

Linde stock opened at $456.24 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $217.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.64, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.94. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $470.79 and its 200 day moving average is $452.58. 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 has a 52-week low of $396.07 and a 52-week high of $487.49.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.89 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $8.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.39 billion. Linde had a net margin of 19.33% and a return on equity of 18.16%. Linde’s revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.63 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Linde will post 15.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Linde Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 3rd will be paid a dividend of $1.39 per share. This represents a $5.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 3rd. Linde’s payout ratio is currently 42.22%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Linde news, VP John Panikar sold 10,025 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $462.75, for a total value of $4,639,068.75. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 17,584 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,136,996. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Linde

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LIN. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Linde by 16.9% in the third quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 145 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Prentice Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Linde by 1.7% in the third quarter. Prentice Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,367 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $652,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Linde by 0.9% in the third quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,706 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,290,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Linde by 1.3% in the third quarter. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,831 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $873,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nwam LLC increased its position in shares of Linde by 2.5% in the first quarter. Nwam LLC now owns 966 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $421,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. 82.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.