Linde Plc (Lin) Fell On Lower-Than-Expected Guidance

Parnassus Investments, an investment management company, released the “Parnassus Core Equity Fund” fourth quarter 2024 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. In the fourth quarter, U.S. stocks rose, closing up a robust 2024. The Fund (Investor Shares) surged 0.28% (net of fees) in the quarter underperforming the S&P 500 Index’s 2.41% return. For the year, the fund returned 18.52% (net of fees) compared to S&P 500 Index’s 25.02%. Stocks soared after the U.S. presidential election as investors awaited the incoming administration’s business-friendly policies. In addition, please check the fund’s top five holdings to know its best picks in 2024.

In its fourth quarter 2024 investor letter, Parnassus Core Equity Fund emphasized stocks such as Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN). Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) is an industrial gas company. The one-month return of Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) was -2.47%, and its shares lost 5.12% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On March 11, 2025, Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) stock closed at $449.67 per share with a market capitalization of $213.36 billion.

Parnassus Core Equity Fund stated the following regarding Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) in its Q4 2024 investor letter:

“Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) exceeded consensus expectations with its latest quarterly earnings, but lower-than-expected full-year guidance weighed on its stock. The global industrial gas provider could see a short-term impact from tightening economic conditions in its major markets.”

Is Linde Plc (LIN) the Best Natural Resources Stock to Invest in According to Hedge Funds?

A scientist in a lab coat inspecting a cylinder filled with industrial gas.

Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 70 hedge fund portfolios held Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) at the end of the fourth quarter which was 63 in the previous quarter. Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) reported $8.3 billion in revenue in the fourth quarter, which was flat to prior year and down 1% sequentially. While we acknowledge the potential of Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is as promising as NVIDIA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

In another article, we discussed Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) and shared the list of best natural resources stocks to invest in according to hedge funds. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q4 2024 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.