With a market cap of around $229.3 billion, Linde plc (LIN) is the world’s largest industrial gases company, supplying essential gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and specialty gases to a wide range of industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, energy, and electronics. The United Kingdom-based company operates a highly integrated business model that combines gas production and distribution with engineering services for building large-scale processing plants, supported by long-term contracts that provide stable and predictable cash flows.
Linde is slated to announce its fiscal Q1 2026 results before the market opens on Friday, May 1. Ahead of this event, analysts expect the company to report an EPS of $4.27, a 8.1% rise from $3.95 in the year-ago quarter. It has exceeded Wall Street’s earnings expectations in each of the last four quarters, which is impressive.
For fiscal 2026, analysts forecast Linde to report EPS of $17.81, a 8.2% growth from $16.46 in fiscal 2025. Moreover, EPS is anticipated to increase 9.1% year over year to $19.43 in fiscal 2027.
Linde shares have gained 8.8% over the past 52 weeks, underperforming the broader S&P 500 Index’s ($SPX) 35% return and the Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund’s (XLB) 27.4% increase over the same time frame.
Shares of Linde rose 1.2% on Feb. 24 after the company announced a 7% increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.60 per share, extending its track record to 33 consecutive years of dividend growth. The dividend will be paid on March 26, 2026, to shareholders of record as of March 11, 2026.
Analysts’ consensus view on LIN is very bullish, with an overall “Strong Buy” rating. Among 24 analysts covering the stock, 18 suggest a “Strong Buy,” two give a “Moderate Buy,” and four recommend a “Hold.” The average analyst price target for LIN is $532.04, indicating a potential upside of 7.6% from the current levels.
On the date of publication, Kritika Sarmah did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.
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