Webster Bank N. A. Boosts Stock Position in Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN)

Webster Bank N. A. lifted its stake in Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,071 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the quarter. Webster Bank N. A.’s holdings in Linde were worth $448,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates raised its holdings in shares of Linde by 144.8% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 71 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Kozak & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Linde during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Linde in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Linde during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Linde during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.80% of the company’s stock.

Linde Stock Down 0.4 %

LIN stock opened at $439.25 on Monday. Linde plc has a fifty-two week low of $396.07 and a fifty-two week high of $487.49. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $435.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $453.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $209.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.35, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.94.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.89 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $8.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.39 billion. Linde had a net margin of 19.33% and a return on equity of 18.16%. The company’s revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.63 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Linde plc will post 15.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 4,385 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.73, for a total value of $2,020,301.05. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 22,776 shares in the company, valued at $10,493,586.48. This represents a 16.14 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP David P. Strauss sold 2,218 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $434.35, for a total transaction of $963,388.30. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 25,926 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,260,958.10. This represents a 7.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on LIN shares. TD Cowen upgraded Linde from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $480.00 to $515.00 in a research report on Monday, January 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Linde from $510.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Linde in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Linde from $477.00 to $507.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Linde from $490.00 to $480.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $501.82.

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.