Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 6,510,982 shares, a decrease of 12.5% from the January 15th total of 7,442,834 shares. Currently, 1.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,413,213 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.7 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,413,213 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.7 days. Currently, 1.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Linde Price Performance

Linde stock opened at $481.00 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $224.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.97, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.84. The business has a 50-day moving average of $439.11 and a 200-day moving average of $447.57. Linde has a 1 year low of $387.78 and a 1 year high of $488.54.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $4.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.18 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $8.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.64 billion. Linde had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 19.52%. Linde’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.97 EPS. Linde has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 4.200-4.300 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 17.400-17.900 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Linde will post 16.54 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LIN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho set a $525.00 price target on Linde in a report on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Linde from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Linde in a research report on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $455.00 target price on shares of Linde in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $530.00 price target on shares of Linde in a report on Friday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $508.20.

Institutional Trading of Linde

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Linde by 1.4% in the second quarter. Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC now owns 1,635 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $767,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Shepherd Financial Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Linde by 4.5% in the 2nd quarter. Shepherd Financial Partners LLC now owns 508 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $238,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Embree Financial Group increased its stake in Linde by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Embree Financial Group now owns 469 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $223,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Blalock Williams LLC increased its stake in Linde by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Blalock Williams LLC now owns 510 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $217,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Linde by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,102 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $470,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.80% of the company’s stock.

About Linde

Linde (NASDAQ: LIN) is a multinational industrial gases and engineering company that supplies gases, related technologies and services to a wide range of industries. The company traces its current form to the 2018 combination of Germany’s Linde AG and U.S.-based Praxair, creating one of the largest global providers of industrial, specialty and medical gases. Linde’s business model centers on production, processing and distribution of gases as well as the design and construction of the plants and equipment needed to produce them.

Core products and services include atmospheric and process gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and argon; hydrogen and helium; carbon dioxide; and a portfolio of higher‑value specialty and electronic gases.