QRG Capital Management Inc. Acquires 13,346 Shares of Linde PLC $LIN

QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) by 22.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 71,604 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,346 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Linde were worth $35,498,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Linde by 15.4% during the 1st quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 20,264 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $10,046,000 after buying an additional 2,703 shares during the period. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC grew its stake in Linde by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Plimoth Trust Co. LLC now owns 7,441 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,689,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC raised its holdings in Linde by 26.0% in the 1st quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,886 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $935,000 after acquiring an additional 389 shares during the period. Baer Investment Advisory LLC bought a new position in Linde in the 1st quarter valued at about $528,000. Finally, Canal Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Linde in the 1st quarter valued at about $251,000. 82.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Seaport Research Partners boosted their price objective on Linde from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Linde from $525.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Citigroup started coverage on Linde in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised Linde from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $560.00 price target on shares of Linde in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. One equities research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Linde presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $543.27.

Linde Price Performance

NASDAQ:LIN opened at $546.64 on Friday. Linde PLC has a 52 week low of $387.78 and a 52 week high of $547.22. The firm has a market cap of $252.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.72. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $511.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $483.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.83.

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

Linde Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 4th were given a $1.60 dividend. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 4th. Linde’s payout ratio is presently 42.50%.

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.