Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Friday. 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on LIN. Erste Group Bank upgraded Linde from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Citigroup raised their price target on Linde from $545.00 to $580.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings cut Linde from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Linde from $512.00 to $552.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Linde in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Linde currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $527.80.

Linde Stock Up 1.4%

Linde stock opened at $507.92 on Friday. Linde has a 1-year low of $387.78 and a 1-year high of $521.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market cap of $235.37 billion, a PE ratio of 33.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.73. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $496.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $456.09.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.27 by $0.06. Linde had a return on equity of 19.52% and a net margin of 20.30%.The company had revenue of $8.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.60 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.95 earnings per share. Linde’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. 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, sell-side analysts expect that Linde will post 17.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Linde Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 4th will be given a dividend of $1.60 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 4th. This represents a $6.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Linde’s payout ratio is 43.87%.

Insider Transactions at Linde

In other news, EVP Sean Durbin sold 6,520 shares of Linde stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $477.27, for a total transaction of $3,111,800.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,890,227.77. The trade was a 44.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 4,357 shares of Linde stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $480.79, for a total value of $2,094,802.03. Following the sale, the vice president owned 22,138 shares in the company, valued at $10,643,729.02. This trade represents a 16.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 20,332 shares of company stock worth $9,749,257 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Linde

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 Trading of Linde

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Linde during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Triumph Capital Management increased its position in shares of Linde by 69.2% during the fourth quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 66 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. EFG International AG acquired a new stake in shares of Linde during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Sfam LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Linde during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new stake in shares of Linde during the third quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.80% of the company’s stock.

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.