Linde plc (NYSE:LIN) Stock Holdings Lifted by Ayrshire Capital Management LLC

Ayrshire Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Linde plc (NYSE:LIN – Get Rating) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,767 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Linde comprises approximately 3.8% of Ayrshire Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest position. Ayrshire Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Linde were worth $5,469,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Cullinan Associates Inc. increased its position in shares of Linde by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Cullinan Associates Inc. now owns 11,895 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,880,000 after acquiring an additional 1,035 shares in the last quarter. Financial Consulate Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Linde in the fourth quarter worth approximately $204,000. Legacy Bridge LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Linde during the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Linde during the fourth quarter worth approximately $210,000. Finally, Accurate Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Linde during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. 78.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Linde

In other Linde news, VP Sean Durbin sold 4,060 shares of Linde stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $360.17, for a total transaction of $1,462,290.20. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 8,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,036,953.44. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Linde Stock Down 2.3 %

NYSE LIN opened at $330.49 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $334.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $315.51. The company has a market capitalization of $162.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.06, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.84. Linde plc has a 1-year low of $262.47 and a 1-year high of $362.74.

Linde (NYSE:LIN – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 7th. The basic materials company reported $3.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $7.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.49 billion. Linde had a return on equity of 14.95% and a net margin of 12.43%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.77 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Linde plc will post 13.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Linde Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.275 per share. This represents a $5.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.54%. This is an increase from Linde’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.17. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 13th. Linde’s payout ratio is presently 61.82%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Linde from $375.00 to $410.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Linde from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Linde from $350.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Linde from $340.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 15th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of Linde from $355.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $370.67.

Linde Company Profile

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Linde Plc is a global industrial gases and engineering company. It designs and builds equipment that produces industrial gases and offers customers a wide range of gas production and processing services such as olefin plants, natural gas plants, air separation plants, hydrogen and synthesis gas plants and other types of plants.