Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) Hits New 52-Week High After Strong Earnings

Posted by Brenda Bartman on May 1st, 2026

Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN – Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high on Friday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as high as $518.50 and last traded at $519.1970, with a volume of 278545 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $501.14.

The basic materials company reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.27 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $8.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.60 billion. Linde had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 19.52%. Linde’s revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.95 earnings per share. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 4th will be issued 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 1.2%. Linde’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.87%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LIN has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Linde from $545.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Seaport Research Partners upped their price objective on shares of Linde from $525.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $530.00 price objective on shares of Linde in a report on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Linde from $550.00 to $579.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Linde from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $527.80.

Read Our Latest Report on LIN

Insider Activity

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Linde

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Linde during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Linde in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Triumph Capital Management raised its stake in Linde by 69.2% in the fourth quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 66 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in Linde in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Saranac Partners Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Linde during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 82.80% of the company’s stock.

Linde Price Performance

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 firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $496.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $456.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $239.68 billion, a PE ratio of 35.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.78.

About Linde

(Get Free Report)

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.