Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) Shares Sold by Orleans Capital Management Corp LA

Orleans Capital Management Corp LA lowered its position in Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,970 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 80 shares during the period. Orleans Capital Management Corp LA’s holdings in Linde were worth $1,368,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Linde during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted 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 buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Linde in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its holdings in Linde by 144.8% in the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 71 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Linde during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. 82.80% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Linde Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of LIN stock opened at $467.22 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Linde plc has a twelve month low of $410.69 and a twelve month high of $487.49. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $458.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $454.32. The stock has a market cap of $220.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.33, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.94.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.93 by $0.04. Linde had a net margin of 19.89% and a return on equity of 18.71%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Linde plc will post 16.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Linde Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were given a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.28%. This is a positive change from Linde’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.39. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. Linde’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on LIN shares. TD Cowen upgraded Linde from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $480.00 to $515.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Linde from $490.00 to $480.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $501.82.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Robert L. Wood sold 2,900 shares of Linde stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $456.26, for a total value of $1,323,154.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 14,013 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,393,571.38. This trade represents a 17.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP David P. Strauss sold 2,477 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was 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 $610,662. This trade represents a 65.58 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,159 shares of company stock valued at $5,603,843 over the last quarter. 0.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Linde 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.