Linde’s (LIN) “Neutral” Rating Reiterated at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated their neutral rating on shares of Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) in a report published on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $455.00 price target on the basic materials company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Linde in a report on Friday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets set a $501.00 price target on shares of Linde in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Mizuho set a $495.00 price objective on Linde in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Linde from $540.00 to $490.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, CICC Research began coverage on Linde in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $510.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $513.56.

Linde Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of 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 PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.84. Linde has a 12 month low of $387.78 and a 12 month high of $486.38. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $431.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $447.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The basic materials company reported $4.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.18 by $0.02. Linde had a return on equity of 19.52% and a net margin of 20.30%.The business had revenue of $8.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.97 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. Linde has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 4.200-4.300 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 17.400-17.900 EPS. Analysts predict that Linde will post 16.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Linde

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Linde in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Linde during the third quarter worth about $27,000. YANKCOM Partnership lifted its position in Linde by 195.2% in the third quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 62 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in Linde in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Saranac Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in Linde in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 82.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Linde

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.