Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at KeyCorp

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) was upgraded by investment analysts at KeyCorp to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Thursday, Zacks reports. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Linde’s FY2026 earnings at $17.85 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $19.50 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $21.75 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Linde from $560.00 to $546.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 10th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Linde in a research note on Friday, September 4th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $525.00 price target on shares of Linde in a report on Friday, July 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Linde from $576.00 to $553.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Linde from $559.00 to $564.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $545.14.

Linde Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LIN opened at $461.62 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $497.33 and a 200-day moving average of $501.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.88. Linde has a twelve month low of $387.78 and a twelve month high of $548.20. The firm has a market cap of $212.80 billion, a PE ratio of 29.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.72.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $4.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.49 by $0.01. Linde had a net margin of 20.43% and a return on equity of 20.09%. The business had revenue of $9.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.09 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Linde has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.700-17.900 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 4.450-4.550 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Linde will post 17.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Linde

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Linde in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID grew its position in shares of Linde by 96.6% during the 1st quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 57 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Principia Wealth Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Linde by 74.2% in the 2nd quarter. Principia Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 54 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management raised its position in shares of Linde by 69.2% in the 4th quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 66 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the period. Finally, High Note Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Linde by 108.6% in the 4th quarter. High Note Wealth LLC now owns 73 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. 82.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Linde

Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) is a global industrial gases and engineering company that supplies gases, related equipment and process technologies to customers across a range of industries. Its products include oxygen, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, specialty gases and medical gases.

The company serves customers in sectors including healthcare, manufacturing, food and beverage, electronics, chemicals, energy and metals. Linde also designs and builds industrial gas plants and provides engineering, project management and process technology services for industrial and energy applications.

Linde traces its history to 1879 and was formed in its current structure through the 2018 merger of Linde AG and Praxair, Inc The company operates internationally, serving customers in numerous countries across the Americas, Europe, Asia and other regions.