Linde Shares Rise 1.74% on Earnings Beat and Dividend Boost Trading 121st in Volume as Institutional Investors Swap Stakes

On August 4, 2025, Linde (NASDAQ: LIN) closed at $459.41, rising 1.74% as trading volume fell 24.84% to $0.77 billion, ranking 121st in market activity. The stock’s 50-day and 200-day moving averages stood at $467.15 and $457.93, respectively, with a 52-week range of $408.65 to $487.49. Institutional ownership remains strong at 82.80% of shares outstanding.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. sharply reduced its stake in Linde by 92% in Q1, retaining just 3,805 shares valued at $1.77 million. Meanwhile, several other institutional investors, including Sterling Capital Management and Jump Financial LLC, increased holdings by up to 770.8% in Q4, signaling varied confidence in the industrial gas giant. Linde’s recent quarterly earnings of $4.09 per share exceeded estimates of $4.03, with revenue of $8.50 billion surpassing projections of $8.35 billion. The company also announced a $1.50 per share dividend, yielding 1.3% annually.

Analysts have raised price targets following strong earnings. BofA Securities upgraded its target to $523 from $492, maintaining a “Buy” rating, citing Linde’s 10.45% year-to-date return and robust 18% return on equity. Citigroup and Royal Bank of Canada also boosted their outlooks, with an average analyst price target of $518.80. However, BofA noted cautious guidance for 2025, reflecting macroeconomic uncertainties.

The backtest of a strategy buying the top 500 high-volume stocks and holding for one day delivered a 166.71% return from 2022 to 2025, outperforming the benchmark by 137.53%. This highlights the short-term performance potential of liquidity-concentrated strategies in volatile markets.