Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Linde PLC (NASDAQ:LIN) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $513.5556.

Several brokerages recently commented on LIN. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Linde from $540.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Linde from $540.00 to $490.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Linde in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $516.00 price objective on shares of Linde in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, CICC Research initiated coverage on Linde in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $510.00 target price on the stock.

Linde Stock Down 2.5%

LIN opened at $448.24 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $209.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.88. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $431.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $447.83. Linde has a twelve month low of $387.78 and a twelve month high of $486.38.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $4.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.18 by $0.02. Linde had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 19.52%. The company had revenue of $8.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.97 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Linde has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 4.200-4.300 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 17.400-17.900 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Linde will post 16.54 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Linde

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LIN. Markel Group Inc. grew its position in Linde by 3.1% during the second quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 186,600 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $87,549,000 after buying an additional 5,600 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service raised its holdings in Linde by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 967,516 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $459,570,000 after acquiring an additional 24,624 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Linde by 12.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 205,318 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $97,526,000 after acquiring an additional 22,489 shares during the period. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp grew its holdings in shares of Linde by 27.2% during the 2nd quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 417,001 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $195,649,000 after purchasing an additional 89,129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Generali Asset Management SPA SGR increased its position in shares of Linde by 14.0% during the third quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 44,981 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $21,366,000 after purchasing an additional 5,526 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 82.80% of the company’s stock.

Linde News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Linde this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat estimates: adjusted EPS $4.20 (vs. $4.18 consensus) and revenue $8.76B (+6% YoY), showing margin resilience and underlying demand. Businesswire: Linde Reports Full-Year and Fourth-Quarter 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year operating profit reported at $8.9B, indicating solid profitability for 2025. Gasworld: Linde reports full year operating profit of $8.9bn
• Positive Sentiment: Company cites record backlog and restructuring initiatives as drivers of steady growth and the 2026 outlook (EPS target $17.40–$17.90). MSN: Linde sees another year of steady growth as Q4 results beat forecasts
• Neutral Sentiment: Management set FY2026 EPS guidance at $17.40–$17.90 and Q1 at $4.20–$4.30 — roughly in line with consensus but tight to the low side of estimates, leaving little upside surprise potential. Linde FY2026 guidance (slide deck)
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan reaffirmed a “neutral” rating with a $455 price target (only modest upside from current levels), signaling limited near-term analyst-driven buy pressure. Benzinga: JPMorgan reaffirms neutral on Linde
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: shares fell after guidance was viewed as disappointing relative to expectations despite the earnings beat; coverage and headlines highlighted the guidance miss. Investing.com: Linde shares fall over 2% as 2026 guidance disappoints
• Negative Sentiment: Operational/headcount action: Linde announced engineering job cuts as it addresses supply-chain challenges — short-term disruption and execution risk that can worry investors. Gasworld: Linde cuts jobs in engineering

About Linde

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.