G&S Capital LLC Trims Stock Position in Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN)

G&S Capital LLC lowered its position in shares of Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,874 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 24 shares during the period. G&S Capital LLC’s holdings in Linde were worth $1,203,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Linde during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Linde during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates increased its holdings in shares of Linde by 144.8% in the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 71 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Kozak & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Linde in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Linde during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. 82.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Linde Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ LIN opened at $458.56 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $218.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.94. Linde plc has a 52 week low of $410.69 and a 52 week high of $487.49. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $434.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $453.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.93 by $0.04. Linde had a return on equity of 18.71% and a net margin of 19.89%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Linde plc will post 16.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Linde

In related news, Director Paula Rosput Reynolds bought 100 shares of Linde stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $441.34 per share, with a total value of $44,134.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 233 shares in the company, valued at $102,832.22. This represents a 75.19 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Robert L. Wood sold 2,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 14,013 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,393,571.38. The trade was a 17.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 9,503 shares of company stock valued at $4,306,843. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on LIN. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective 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. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Linde in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Mizuho increased their price objective on Linde from $520.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. TD Cowen raised Linde from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $480.00 to $515.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on Linde from $490.00 to $480.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $501.82.

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.