Nordea Investment Management AB Has $898.19 Million Stock Holdings in Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN)

Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in shares of Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,145,643 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 46,843 shares during the period. Linde accounts for about 0.9% of Nordea Investment Management AB’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Nordea Investment Management AB’s holdings in Linde were worth $898,188,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its holdings in Linde by 144.8% in the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 71 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Linde during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Kozak & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Linde during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Linde in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its holdings in Linde by 133.3% in the 2nd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 98 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. 82.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Linde Price Performance

Shares of LIN stock opened at $413.50 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $196.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.40, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.94. Linde plc has a 12 month low of $396.07 and a 12 month high of $487.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $445.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $454.18.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The basic materials company reported $3.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.89 by $0.05. Linde had a return on equity of 18.16% and a net margin of 19.33%. The business had revenue of $8.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.63 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Linde plc will post 15.48 EPS for the current year.

Linde Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 3rd were given a $1.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 3rd. This represents a $5.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. Linde’s dividend payout ratio is 42.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Linde news, Director Paula Rosput Reynolds bought 100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $441.34 per share, with a total value of $44,134.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 233 shares in the company, valued at $102,832.22. This trade represents a 75.19 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 4,385 shares of Linde stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $460.73, for a total transaction of $2,020,301.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 22,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,493,586.48. The trade was a 16.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on LIN. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Linde in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Linde from $490.00 to $480.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Linde from $477.00 to $507.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Mizuho increased their target price on Linde from $520.00 to $530.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Linde from $510.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Linde has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $490.75.

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.