Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) Releases Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) updated its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Friday. The company provided EPS guidance of 4.450-4.550 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 4.590. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Linde also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 17.700-17.900 EPS.

Linde Stock Performance

NASDAQ LIN opened at $478.38 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $221.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.90, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.72. Linde has a 52-week low of $387.78 and a 52-week high of $548.20. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $515.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $496.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, July 31st. The basic materials company reported $4.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.49 by $0.01. Linde had a return on equity of 19.80% and a net margin of 20.44%.The firm had revenue of $9.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.09 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.3% compared to the same quarter last 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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Linde will post 17.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Linde Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on LIN. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $560.00 price objective 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 report on Friday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Linde from $525.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $559.00 price target on shares of Linde in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners raised their price objective on shares of Linde from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $548.67.

Trending Headlines about Linde

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Linde

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Linde during the third quarter worth approximately $453,274,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in Linde by 7.7% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 9,784,371 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,171,959,000 after acquiring an additional 695,771 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Linde by 11.2% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,768,269 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,606,756,000 after acquiring an additional 378,343 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp purchased a new position in shares of Linde during the 4th quarter worth $158,952,000. Finally, Primecap Management Co. CA boosted its holdings in shares of Linde by 64.9% during the fourth quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 888,620 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $378,899,000 after purchasing an additional 349,700 shares during the last quarter. 82.80% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.