Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $522.89 and last traded at $519.1950, with a volume of 167531 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $515.59.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Linde from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Seaport Research Partners upped their price target on shares of Linde from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $600.00 price target on shares of Linde in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. DZ Bank cut shares of Linde from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $460.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Linde from $525.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Linde has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $541.91.

Linde Trading Down 0.2%

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $503.67 and its 200 day moving average is $469.71. The company has a market cap of $237.99 billion, a PE ratio of 34.21, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $8.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.60 billion. Linde had a net margin of 20.44% and a return on equity of 19.80%. Linde’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.95 earnings per share. Linde has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.600-17.900 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 4.400-4.500 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Linde PLC will post 17.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Linde Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 4th will be paid a dividend of $1.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Linde’s payout ratio is currently 42.50%.

Institutional Trading of Linde

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of LIN. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Linde during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID grew its stake in Linde by 96.6% in the 1st quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 57 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management grew its stake in Linde by 69.2% in the 4th quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 66 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in Linde in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Saranac Partners Ltd purchased a new position in Linde in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 82.80% of the company’s stock.

Linde Company Profile

Linde (NASDAQ: LIN) is a multinational industrial gases and engineering company that supplies gases, related technologies and services to a wide range of industries. The company traces its current form to the 2018 combination of Germany’s Linde AG and U.S.-based Praxair, creating one of the largest global providers of industrial, specialty and medical gases. Linde’s business model centers on production, processing and distribution of gases as well as the design and construction of the plants and equipment needed to produce them.

Core products and services include atmospheric and process gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and argon; hydrogen and helium; carbon dioxide; and a portfolio of higher‑value specialty and electronic gases.