Brookmont Capital Management has acquired a new position in Linde PLC (NASDAQ: LIN) during the third quarter, purchasing 5,950 shares valued at approximately $2,824,000. This investment makes Linde represent about 1.6% of Brookmont Capital Management's portfolio, positioning it as the firm's 22nd largest holding.
Several other institutional investors have also adjusted their stakes in Linde. State Street Corp increased its holdings by 3.7% in the second quarter, now owning 20,344,181 shares worth $10,558,016,000. Amundi grew its stake by 13.4% during the first quarter, holding 3,162,409 shares valued at $1,567,796,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership, and Swiss National Bank also boosted their positions in Linde by 2.4%, 28.6%, and 6.6% respectively during the first quarter.
Linde PLC opened at $508.83 on Friday, with a market capitalization of $234.56 billion. The company reported earnings per share (EPS) of $4.50 for the quarter ending July 31st, surpassing estimates by $0.01. Revenue for the quarter was $9.29 billion, up 9.3% year-over-year. Linde has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.700-17.900 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 4.450-4.550 EPS.
The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.60 per share, paid on September 17th, representing a $6.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Analysts have given Linde a consensus rating of "Buy" with an average target price of $547.10. KeyCorp initiated coverage with an "overweight" rating and a $542.00 price target, while Citigroup, Weiss Ratings, Evercore, and The Goldman Sachs Group also provided positive outlooks.