Simmons Bank Sells 590 Shares of Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN)

Simmons Bank reduced its stake in shares of Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) by 5.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,460 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 590 shares during the period. Simmons Bank’s holdings in Linde were worth $3,961,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Linde during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its holdings in 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. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Linde during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Linde during the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Kozak & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in Linde by 38.6% during the 4th quarter. Kozak & Associates Inc. now owns 97 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. 82.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Linde

In other news, Director Paula Rosput Reynolds bought 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $441.34 per share, with a total value of $44,134.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 233 shares in the company, valued at $102,832.22. This represents a 75.19 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 4,385 shares of Linde stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $460.73, for a total transaction of $2,020,301.05. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 22,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,493,586.48. This represents a 16.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 16,285 shares of company stock valued at $7,423,986. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Linde Stock Performance

Shares of LIN opened at $461.40 on Thursday. Linde plc has a one year low of $410.69 and a one year high of $487.49. The company has a market cap of $219.70 billion, a PE ratio of 33.90, a P/E/G ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $439.02 and a 200-day moving average of $454.75.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $3.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.93 by $0.04. Linde had a net margin of 19.89% and a return on equity of 18.71%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Linde plc will post 16.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Linde Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th will be given a $1.50 dividend. This is a boost from Linde’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.39. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.30%. Linde’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on LIN shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Linde from $477.00 to $507.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. TD Cowen upgraded Linde from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $480.00 to $515.00 in a report on Monday, January 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Linde from $510.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Citigroup decreased their price target on Linde from $490.00 to $480.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on Linde from $520.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $501.82.

Linde Company 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.