Linde PLC $LIN Stock: Goelzer Investment Management Inc. Grows Stake

Goelzer Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) by 304.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,555 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,430 shares during the quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Linde were worth $2,162,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Annex Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Linde during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,187,000. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP purchased a new position in shares of Linde during the 3rd quarter valued at $72,006,000. Activest Wealth Management increased its stake in Linde by 29.9% in the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 113 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Linde in the third quarter worth about $43,110,000. Finally, Whitener Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Linde during the third quarter worth about $1,876,000. 82.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Linde Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LIN opened at $498.43 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $478.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $498.15. The company has a market cap of $229.77 billion, a PE ratio of 32.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.88. Linde PLC has a fifty-two week low of $387.78 and a fifty-two week high of $548.20.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $4.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.49 by $0.01. Linde had a net margin of 20.43% and a return on equity of 20.09%. The business had revenue of $9.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.09 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Linde has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.700-17.900 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 4.450-4.550 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Linde PLC will post 17.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Linde Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 17th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.60 per share. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 3rd. Linde’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.34%.

Linde News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Linde this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays turned bullish on Linde. The firm initiated coverage with an “overweight” rating, adding to recent positive sentiment around Linde’s earnings durability, pricing power and exposure to long-term industrial and technology demand. Barclays initiates coverage of Linde at overweight
• Positive Sentiment: Linde is expanding its carbon-capture business in Sweden. The company plans to build a facility capable of capturing 200,000 tonnes of CO2 annually at a waste-to-energy site, reinforcing its position in industrial decarbonization and potentially expanding its project pipeline. Linde to build 200,000-tonne CO2 capture plant at Swedish waste-to-energy facility
• Positive Sentiment: Linde’s Taiwan affiliate is pursuing hydrogen infrastructure growth. Linde LienHwa is developing hydrogen-as-a-service and refueling solutions, which could create longer-term revenue opportunities as Taiwan increases hydrogen adoption. Linde LienHwa tackles hydrogen transport dilemma with HaaS Interview: Linde LienHwa fuels Taiwan’s hydrogen push
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC remains constructive but lowered its target. Royal Bank of Canada cut its price target from $553 to $549 while retaining an “outperform” rating, suggesting continued confidence but slightly less near-term upside.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation is becoming a concern. Commentary that Linde appears fully valued on current earnings could weigh on the stock, particularly given its elevated earnings multiple and the need for continued earnings growth to justify further appreciation. Linde Stock Looks Fully Valued On Current Earnings

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on LIN shares. Barclays started coverage on shares of Linde in a research note on Monday. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $577.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Linde from $612.00 to $574.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Linde from $553.00 to $549.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $580.00 target price on shares of Linde and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Linde from $532.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $547.10.

About Linde

Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) is a global industrial gases and engineering company that supplies gases, related equipment and process technologies to customers in healthcare, manufacturing, chemicals, energy, food and beverage, electronics, and other industries. Its products include oxygen, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide and specialty gases.

The company provides gases through on-site production facilities, pipelines, bulk deliveries and packaged cylinders. It also designs and builds industrial gas plants and offers technologies and services for applications such as hydrogen production, carbon capture, clean energy, semiconductor manufacturing, metal fabrication and medical care.

Linde traces its history to 1879, when German engineer Carl von Linde developed refrigeration and gas-related technologies.