Erste Group Bank Analysts Raise Earnings Estimates for Linde

Key Points

• Erste Group Bank raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Linde to $17.90 from $17.85 and kept a Strong-Buy rating, slightly above the broader consensus estimate of $17.86 per share.
• Linde beat quarterly expectations in its latest earnings report, posting $4.33 EPS versus $4.27 expected and revenue of $8.78 billion versus $8.60 billion expected, with revenue up 8.2% year over year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.60 per share, payable June 18, which works out to a $6.40 annualized dividend and a 1.3% yield.

Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Erste Group Bank boosted their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of Linde in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, May 5th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the basic materials company will post earnings of $17.90 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $17.85. Erste Group Bank currently has a "Strong-Buy" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Linde's current full-year earnings is $17.86 per share.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Linde from $580.00 to $585.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $575.00 target price on shares of Linde in a research report on Monday, May 4th. DZ Bank downgraded shares of Linde from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $460.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $530.00 target price on shares of Linde in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Linde from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $540.00.

Linde Stock Performance

Shares of Linde stock opened at $493.16 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $228.01 billion, a PE ratio of 32.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The firm's 50 day moving average is $496.88 and its 200 day moving average is $457.12. Linde has a 1 year low of $387.78 and a 1 year high of $521.28.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $8.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.60 billion. Linde had a net margin of 20.44% and a return on equity of 19.80%. The firm's revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous 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.

Linde Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Linde's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.50%.

Insider Activity at Linde

In other news, VP Guillermo Bichara sold 4,357 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $480.79, for a total value of $2,094,802.03. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 22,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,643,729.02. The trade was a 16.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Sean Durbin sold 6,520 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,151 shares in the company, valued at $3,890,227.77. This trade represents a 44.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 20,332 shares of company stock worth $9,749,257. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LIN. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Linde in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Linde in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID lifted its position in shares of Linde by 96.6% in the 1st quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 57 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management lifted its position 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 worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in shares of Linde in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. 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.

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