Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Friday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 17.600-17.900 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 17.830. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Linde also updated its Q2 2026 guidance to 4.400-4.500 EPS.

Linde Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LIN traded up $6.78 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $507.92. 2,577,095 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,528,647. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $496.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $456.09. Linde has a 12 month low of $387.78 and a 12 month high of $521.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $235.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $8.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.60 billion. Linde had a return on equity of 19.52% and a net margin of 20.30%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.95 EPS. Linde has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.600-17.900 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 4.400-4.500 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Linde will post 17.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Linde Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 4th will be issued a $1.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $6.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Linde’s dividend payout ratio is 43.87%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on LIN. Erste Group Bank raised Linde from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings cut Linde from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Linde in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. UBS Group upped their price target on Linde from $550.00 to $579.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners upped their price target on Linde from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $527.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 4,357 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $480.79, for a total transaction of $2,094,802.03. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 22,138 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,643,729.02. This trade represents a 16.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sean Durbin sold 6,520 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $477.27, for a total value of $3,111,800.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,890,227.77. This represents a 44.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 20,332 shares of company stock valued at $9,749,257 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

More Linde News

Here are the key news stories impacting Linde this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results topped expectations — adjusted EPS $4.33 vs. $4.27 consensus and revenue $8.78B (up ~8% YoY); management cited pricing and project start‑ups as growth drivers. Business Wire: Linde Reports First-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its dividend alongside the quarter, a shareholder‑friendly move that supports income and signals confidence in cash flow. Zacks: Linde Q1 Earnings Beat, Dividend Raised
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability remains strong — net margin (~20.3%) and ROE (~19.5%) indicate healthy cash conversion and operational leverage that support valuations. MarketBeat: Linde Q1 Summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Q2 guidance given at $4.40–$4.50 is essentially in line with the Street (consensus ~4.45), so near‑term guidance doesn’t materially surprise investors either way. Seeking Alpha: Q1 Results Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Management hosted an earnings call and published the slide deck/transcript — useful for assessing segment dynamics (industrial gases, projects) but no new strategic shifts announced. Seeking Alpha: Q1 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: FY 2026 guidance set to $17.60–$17.90 has a midpoint slightly below the current consensus (~17.83), which could be viewed as a modest disappointment if investors expected an upward revision. Zacks: What Key Metrics Say

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Linde

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LIN. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Linde during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Triumph Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Linde by 69.2% in the 4th quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 66 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. EFG International AG acquired a new stake in shares of Linde in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Sfam LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Linde in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new stake in shares of Linde in the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. 82.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.