Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) Shares Sold by Scientech Research LLC

Scientech Research LLC cut its stake in shares of Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) by 35.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,066 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,668 shares during the period. Scientech Research LLC’s holdings in Linde were worth $1,284,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LIN. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Linde in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in Linde by 1,160.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 63 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Linde in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Linde in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Linde in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. 82.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Linde

In related news, VP David P. Strauss sold 2,477 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 1,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $610,662. This trade represents a 65.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Juergen Nowicki sold 6,782 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $459.62, for a total transaction of $3,117,142.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,765 shares in the company, valued at $6,786,289.30. The trade was a 31.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Linde Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of LIN stock opened at $457.77 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $215.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.63, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.00. Linde plc has a 1-year low of $408.65 and a 1-year high of $487.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $451.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $447.77.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $3.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.92 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $8.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.24 billion. Linde had a net margin of 19.89% and a return on equity of 18.71%. The company’s revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.75 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Linde plc will post 16.54 EPS for the current year.

Linde Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 4th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.31%. Linde’s payout ratio is currently 43.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Linde to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Argus raised shares of Linde to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Linde has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $503.11.

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.