Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) saw a large decline in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 6,510,982 shares, a decline of 12.5% from the January 15th total of 7,442,834 shares. Approximately 1.4% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 2,413,213 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.7 days. Based on an average trading volume of 2,413,213 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.7 days. Approximately 1.4% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. CICC Research started coverage on shares of Linde in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $510.00 price target for the company. UBS Group increased their price objective on Linde from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $530.00 target price on shares of Linde in a research note on Friday, February 6th. DZ Bank downgraded Linde from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $460.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Linde from $540.00 to $490.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $508.20.

Linde Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LIN opened at $485.28 on Thursday. Linde has a 12 month low of $387.78 and a 12 month high of $488.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $226.60 billion, a PE ratio of 33.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.84. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $442.80 and its 200 day moving average price is $447.99.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $4.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.18 by $0.02. Linde had a return on equity of 19.52% and a net margin of 20.30%.The business had revenue of $8.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.97 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Linde has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 4.200-4.300 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 17.400-17.900 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Linde will post 16.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Linde

In other news, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 9,455 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $480.45, for a total value of $4,542,654.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 22,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,636,202.10. This trade represents a 29.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of LIN. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Linde during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Linde in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in Linde in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. YANKCOM Partnership boosted its stake in Linde by 195.2% during the 3rd quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 62 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Finally, Guerra Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in Linde during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.80% of the company’s stock.

About Linde

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.