Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The basic materials company reported $4.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.49 by $0.01, Briefing.com reports. Linde had a return on equity of 19.80% and a net margin of 20.44%.The business had revenue of $9.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.09 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Linde updated its FY 2026 guidance to 17.700-17.900 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance to 4.450-4.550 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Linde’s conference call:

• Record quarterly performance: Second-quarter sales rose 9% to $9.3 billion and EPS increased 10% to $4.50, while the sale-of-gas backlog grew by $1 billion to a record $8.1 billion.
• Strong electronics and project pipeline: Linde secured new U.S. electronics projects and expects electronics to remain its largest backlog contributor, with more than 20 projects and approximately $1.3 billion of investments scheduled to start up during the rest of 2026.
• Margins declined: Operating margin excluding cost pass-through fell about 30 basis points year over year, primarily due to continued inflation, reimbursement and policy pressures in the U.S. home-care business; Linde is evaluating the unit’s strategic fit and expects sequential improvement beginning in the third quarter.
• Growth trends improved in several markets: Electronics grew 18% year over year, while manufacturing, aerospace, healthcare, food and beverage, and selected metals and mining markets showed healthy or improving demand, particularly in the U.S. and parts of APAC.
• Guidance was modestly raised: Third-quarter EPS is expected at $4.45–$4.55, and full-year EPS guidance is now $17.70–$17.90, with only the bottom end increased as management waits for more evidence that base-volume recovery will persist.

Linde Stock Performance

Shares of LIN stock opened at $478.38 on Friday. Linde has a 52-week low of $387.78 and a 52-week high of $548.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market cap of $221.18 billion, a PE ratio of 30.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $515.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $496.23.

Linde Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 3rd will be issued a $1.60 dividend. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. Linde’s payout ratio is 41.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LIN has been the subject of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $575.00 target price on shares of Linde in a report on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Linde in a report on Friday, July 17th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $560.00 price target on shares of Linde in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $525.00 price objective on shares of Linde in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of Linde in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $548.67.

Institutional Trading of Linde

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Linde by 2,137.2% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 129,847 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $55,366,000 after purchasing an additional 124,043 shares in the last quarter. Claris Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Linde during the fourth quarter worth $339,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Linde by 16.2% during the fourth quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 18,707 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $7,976,000 after buying an additional 2,605 shares in the last quarter. Blue Sparrow LLC DE acquired a new stake in Linde during the fourth quarter valued at $13,815,000. Finally, Summit Global Investments acquired a new stake in Linde during the fourth quarter valued at $969,000. 82.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Linde News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Linde this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results exceeded estimates: Adjusted EPS rose 10% year over year to $4.50, narrowly beating the $4.49 consensus, while sales increased 9% to $9.29 billion versus expectations of $9.02 billion. Growth benefited from higher pricing, stronger volumes, favorable currency effects and acquisitions. LIN Q2 Earnings & Revenues Beat Estimates on Volume & Pricing Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Semiconductor expansion adds a long-term growth opportunity: Linde secured a long-term agreement to supply ultra-high-purity gases to a major semiconductor manufacturer and plans to invest approximately $1 billion to expand its Phoenix, Arizona, production complex. The deal should support recurring sales tied to U.S. chip manufacturing capacity. Linde to invest $1 billion in Arizona after winning semiconductor supply deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Electronics was a leading end-market: Management highlighted volume and pricing gains, with electronics demand providing notable support. The earnings call also offered additional detail on operating performance and capital investment plans. Linde plc Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Forward guidance fell short of consensus: Linde forecast third-quarter EPS of $4.45–$4.55, below the $4.59 analyst estimate, and full-year 2026 EPS of $17.70–$17.90, below the $17.93 consensus. Although the company raised the lower end of its annual forecast, the outlook implies limited near-term upside relative to expectations. Linde raises lower end of 2026 guidance after Q2 earnings beat

Linde Company Profile

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.