Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings Guidance

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) updated its first quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 4.200-4.300 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 4.240. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Linde also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 17.400-17.900 EPS.

Linde Price Performance

NASDAQ:LIN traded down $13.64 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $459.69. The stock had a trading volume of 3,449,624 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,477,144. The stock has a market capitalization of $214.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.79, a P/E/G ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $429.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $447.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.82. Linde has a one year low of $387.78 and a one year high of $486.38.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $4.20 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.18 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $8.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.64 billion. Linde had a net margin of 21.17% and a return on equity of 19.38%. The business’s revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.97 earnings per share. Linde has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 4.200-4.300 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 17.400-17.900 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Linde will post 16.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Linde from $540.00 to $490.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Citigroup raised their price target on Linde from $520.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Linde in a research note on Friday, December 12th. CICC Research started coverage on Linde in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $510.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Linde from $475.00 to $455.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Linde currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $501.75.

Linde News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Linde this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results topped expectations — adjusted EPS of $4.20 beat consensus and revenue rose ~6% year-over-year, showing continued top-line growth and margin resilience. Linde (LIN) Surpasses Q4 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Stronger pricing and volume in the Americas helped lift segment profits — a constructive signal for near?term margin trends in a key region. Linde Q4 Earnings Beat on Higher Americas Pricing, Revenues Rise Y/Y
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported GAAP net income and diluted EPS declined year-over-year due to purchase accounting and restructuring impacts; adjusted results (the metric investors focus on) were up modestly. Linde Reports Full-Year and Fourth-Quarter 2025 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Management set Q1 2026 EPS guidance of $4.20–4.30 and FY 2026 guidance of $17.40–17.90 — broadly in line with consensus but leaving limited upside, and with modest currency tailwinds noted. View Press Release
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst view: some sell?side commentary (example: Seeking Alpha contributor) lowered the price target and kept a “Hold” stance, arguing the December buy window was the better entry and that upside from current levels is limited — a factor that can pressure the stock if investors expected a more bullish outlook. Linde: Stock Remains A ‘Hold’ As I Missed The Perfect Buying Opportunity
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: despite the beat, expectations are largely met rather than exceeded and GAAP weakness plus limited guidance upside appear to be driving selling pressure today. Linde (LIN) stock page

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Linde

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Advisory Services Network LLC lifted its holdings in Linde by 0.5% in the third quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 13,922 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,613,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Linde in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $7,090,000. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Linde by 1.0% during the third quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 21,869 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $10,388,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Linde by 62.4% in the third quarter. Parvin Asset Management LLC now owns 690 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $328,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares during the period. Finally, United Capital Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Linde by 3.9% during the third quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 13,052 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,200,000 after buying an additional 495 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.