Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.01 EPS

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday. The basic materials company reported $4.50 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $9.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.09 earnings per share. Linde’s revenue for the quarter 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 Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LIN traded down $30.26 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $478.38. 5,213,460 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,425,866. Linde has a 1 year low of $387.78 and a 1 year high of $548.20. The company has a market cap of $221.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.76, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.83. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $516.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $496.36.

Linde Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Thursday, September 3rd. Linde’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.50%.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on LIN. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Linde in a report on Friday, July 17th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $525.00 price target on shares of Linde in a report on Friday, July 10th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Linde in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $548.67.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Linde

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LIN. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its position 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 worth $55,366,000 after purchasing an additional 124,043 shares during the last quarter. Claris Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Linde in the 4th quarter worth about $339,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Linde by 16.2% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Blue Sparrow LLC DE purchased a new stake in Linde during the 4th quarter worth approximately $13,815,000. Finally, Summit Global Investments purchased a new stake in Linde during the 4th quarter worth approximately $969,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.80% of the company’s stock.

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.