Linde plc · LIN · FY2025 Q1 · Calendar Q2 2025

Linde pairs margin expansion with backlog and hydrogen execution

The supplied analysis supports a cautiously constructive view of Linde's operating trajectory: backlog, defensive contracts, electronics, hydrogen, India, and productivity initiatives provide support, but the evidence is not conclusive because industrial softness, project timing, FX, and hydrogen execution remain material constraints.

Reported Before market openNASDAQBasic Materials $227.65B market cap
80quality score

Earnings scorecard

Reported versus consensus
Reported EPS — Consensus $3.92
EPS surprise — Reported versus consensus
Reported revenue — Consensus $8.25B
Revenue surprise — Reported versus consensus

Market reaction

prior-close to event-session close
Stock move -1.1% Event window
SPY move +0.7% Same window
Abnormal move -1.9% Stock minus SPY
Volume 1.0× Versus trailing sessions
Subsequent drift +4.4% Up to 20 sessions
LINSPY benchmark

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Transcript intelligence

What changed

Versus the prior-quarter analysis, the current analysis emphasizes 8% year-over-year EPS growth, a 30.1% operating margin, flat sales and weaker volumes, while guidance remained in place. Management also highlighted more than 100 AI-driven productivity models and a clean-energy hydrogen opportunity of $8 billion to $10 billion over the next few years.

Guidance delta

Guidance was maintained, with the EPS range narrowed marginally.

Key takeaways

  • Management described EPS growth and higher operating margin despite flat sales and weaker volumes.
  • A defensive mix of fixed-fee on-site contracts and rental assets supports roughly two-thirds of global gas sales.
  • Management highlighted a $10 billion backlog, electronics demand, India, hydrogen, and AI-enabled productivity.
  • The central test is whether backlog and productivity can offset softer industrial demand and project timing risk.

Management priorities

  • Execute two major gas projects and advance low-carbon hydrogen projects.
  • Expand electronics-gas supply in Asia and continue India infrastructure growth.
  • Deploy AI-driven productivity tools across plants and optimize power and distribution.
  • Maintain focus on backlog execution and low-carbon projects supported by available policy incentives.

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Earnings History

Estimate Beat Miss Match
LIN REVENUE earnings history estimate and actual scatter chart 9 reported fiscal quarters and 3 future estimate-only quarters. Q1 '24 estimate $8B Q1 '24 actual $8B, miss Q2 '24 estimate $8B Q2 '24 actual $8B, miss Q3 '24 estimate $8B Q3 '24 actual $8B, miss Q2 '25 estimate $8B Q2 '25 actual $8B, beat Q3 '25 estimate $9B Q3 '25 actual $9B, match Q4 '25 estimate $9B Q4 '25 actual $9B, beat Q1 '26 estimate $9B Q1 '26 actual $9B, beat Q2 '26 estimate $9B Q2 '26 actual $9B, beat Q3 '26 estimate $9B Q4 '26 estimate $9B Q1 '27 estimate $9B
Show 1 more >

Analyst Consensus ?

ConsensusBuy29 ratings
Bullish2689.7%
Neutral310.3%
Bearish00.0%

Analyst 52W Price Targets

$492.79Current
$293.65Low
$470.67Average
$612High

Latest persisted target per named analyst; persisted current price from FN2's market snapshot as of Oct 14, 2026. Not an FN2 forecast.

Firm-level rating actions

FMP grade actions identify the grading firm, not a named analyst.

FirmRatingPrior ratingActionDate
Citigroup Buy BuyMaintainOct 7, 2026
UBS Buy BuyMaintainOct 5, 2026
Argus Research Buy BuyMaintainSep 28, 2026
BMO Capital Outperform OutperformMaintainAug 10, 2026
RBC Capital Outperform OutperformMaintainAug 3, 2026
Show 24 more rating actions

Named analyst price targets

Upside is calculated against the persisted current price $492.79. FMP does not supply a rating on these named-analyst rows.

FirmAnalyst52W targetPrice when postedUpsideDate
BarclaysAnalyst unavailable$577$487.35 +17.1%Oct 12, 2026
UBSJoshua Spector$574$479.48 +16.5%Oct 5, 2026
Argus ResearchAnalyst unavailable$538$471.79 +9.2%Sep 28, 2026
BernsteinJames Hooper$563$463.92 +14.2%Sep 11, 2026
KeyBancAnalyst unavailable$542$461.62 +10.0%Sep 10, 2026
See 57 more

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Company context

Snapshot as of publication

Linde plc functions as a global industrial gas and engineering powerhouse, extending its operations throughout North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company's comprehensive product line features atmospheric gases like oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and various rare gases, alongside a diverse array of process gases such as carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, specialized electronic gases, and acetylene. Beyond gas supply, Linde is also adept at designing and constructing turnkey process plants. These engineering solutions serve both third-party customers and its own gas business facilities, covering types like olefin, natural gas, air separation, hydrogen, and synthesis gas plants. Linde's extensive client base spans numerous sectors, including healthcare, energy, general manufacturing, food and beverage carbonation, fiber-optics, steel production, aerospace, chemicals, and water treatment. Established in 1879, the company is headquartered in Woking, United Kingdom.

Historical context

All LIN earnings

Basic Materials peers this season

Latest reports in the same sector
CompanyQuarterEPS surpriseMarket moveHeadline
RPM RPM International Inc. FY2027 Q1 · Calendar Q4 2026 +1.5% +3.2% RPM posts record quarter, but input costs narrow the outlook

Latest beats and misses

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Sources

  1. Earnings call transcript and parsed analysis · 2026-05-11T10:29:34.698584+00:00
  2. FN2 earnings calendar · 2025-04-17T00:02:52.217204+00:00
  3. Polygon adjusted daily market bars · 2026-10-14T11:00:42.316920+00:00
  4. Financial Modeling Prep analyst price-target consensus and quote snapshot · 2026-10-14T11:00:42.313361+00:00

Methodology

Reported and consensus figures come from FN2's earnings event records. Market reaction and volume are calculated from daily adjusted bars around the event; abnormal move subtracts the SPY move over the same window.

Analyst target low, average, and high values are derived at request time from each named analyst's latest persisted FMP target. The current-price marker comes from FN2's persisted market snapshot. They are sell-side estimates, not an FN2 valuation or recommendation.

Transcript intelligence is a structured synthesis of the current and prior earnings-call analyses. Missing values stay missing and are never estimated.

By FN2 Research · Updated · As of 2026-10-14. For educational purposes only; not investment advice.