Linde plc (LIN) Stock Price & Analysis
Linde plc (LIN) closed at USD 510.36 on Thursday, October 22, 2026, up 1.96% on the day. The US market is currently closed (pre-market); this is not a live price.
The prior close was USD 500.57; the Oct 22, 2026 session ranged USD 500.29–510.84 on volume of 1,956,913 shares. Market capitalization is $235.27B, with a 52-week range of USD 387.78–548.2 (NMS). Source: Nexqual, retrieved October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC.
Also available as compact Markdown for AI agents: nexqual.com/LIN.md
Key facts (LIN)
- Last four reported quarters (through Jun 30, 2026): revenue $35.4B, net income $7.24B (20.4% margin), free cash flow $4.97B (SEC filings).
- Valuation: P/E 32.5x (avg 30.8x at the last 3 fiscal year-ends), EV/EBITDA 19.2x, net debt $18.3B.
- 6 of 80 tracked superinvestors hold LIN (13F, Q2 2026 (1 investor on Q3 2026, filed early)): 1 new, 2 added, 1 reduced, 2 unchanged.
- Analysts: Buy (mean 2.03 on a 1–5 scale) (29 analysts), mean target USD 545.26 (range 400–591).
- Total return with dividends: 1Y +14.9% vs S&P 500 +14.9%; 5Y +73.8% vs S&P 500 +80.3%.
- Next earnings: 2026-10-29, EPS estimate USD 4.52, revenue estimate $9.16B.
Financials (SEC 10-K; TTM = last four 10-Q/10-K quarters) (LIN)
| USD | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 | TTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $30.8B | $33.4B | $32.9B | $33.0B | $34.0B | $35.4B |
| Operating income | $4.98B | $5.37B | $8.02B | $8.63B | $8.92B | $9.38B |
| Net income | $3.83B | $4.15B | $6.20B | $6.57B | $6.90B | $7.24B |
| EPS (diluted) | $7.33 | $8.23 | $12.59 | $13.62 | $14.61 | — |
| Free cash flow | $6.64B | $5.69B | $5.52B | $4.93B | $5.09B | $4.97B |
| Operating margin | 16.2% | 16.1% | 24.4% | 26.2% | 26.3% | 26.5% |
| Net margin | 12.4% | 12.4% | 18.9% | 19.9% | 20.3% | 20.4% |
| Revenue growth | +13.0% | +8.3% | -1.5% | +0.5% | +3.0% | — |
| Cash + short-term investments | $2.82B | $5.44B | $4.66B | $4.85B | $5.06B | — |
| Total debt | $13.0B | $13.8B | $14.7B | $17.4B | $22.5B | — |
Fiscal years end Dec. EPS is split-adjusted.
Valuation (price ÷ last four quarters, through Jun 30, 2026) (LIN)
P/E 32.5x · P/S 6.6x · EV/EBITDA 19.2x · EV/Sales 7.2x · P/FCF 47.3x · P/B 6.0x · FCF yield 2.11% · Earnings yield 3.08% · Dividend yield (paid, TTM) 1.22% · Buyback yield (TTM) 1.72% · Net debt $18.3B · EV $254B
P/E at fiscal year-ends: Dec 2025 29.2x, Dec 2024 30.7x, Dec 2023 32.6x.
Superinvestors (SEC 13F-HR, Q2 2026) (LIN)
6 of 80 tracked investors hold LIN (1 investor on Q3 2026, filed early). Each row is the investor's latest 13F; change is vs their prior-quarter share count.
| Investor | Firm | % of portfolio | Value | Change | Quarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Mandel | Lone Pine Capital | 4.94% | $809M | New position | Q2 2026 |
| John Armitage | Egerton Capital | 1.94% | $191M | Added +33.6% | Q3 2026 |
| Thomas Gayner | Markel Group | 0.85% | $112M | Added +5.4% | Q2 2026 |
| AKO Capital | 0.78% | $33.6M | Reduced -51.9% | Q2 2026 | |
| Dodge & Cox Funds | Dodge & Cox | 0.36% | $688M | Unchanged | Q2 2026 |
| Jensen Investment Management | 0.02% | $669K | Unchanged | Q2 2026 |
Analysts (LIN)
Consensus Buy (mean 2.03 on a 1–5 scale), 29 analysts; mean target USD 545.26 (low 400, high 591).
Rating changes, last 120 days:
| Date | Firm | Action | Rating | Price target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-15 | RBC Capital | Target lowered | Outperform | $553 → $549 |
| 2026-10-13 | Barclays | Initiated | Overweight | $577 |
| 2026-10-07 | Citigroup | Target lowered | Buy | $580 → $560 |
| 2026-10-05 | UBS | Target lowered | Buy | $612 → $574 |
| 2026-09-28 | Argus Research | Target lowered | Buy | $563 → $538 |
| 2026-09-11 | Keybanc | Initiated | Overweight | $542 |
| 2026-08-10 | BMO Capital | Target lowered | Outperform | $560 → $546 |
| 2026-08-03 | Citigroup | Target lowered | Buy | $600 → $580 |
| 2026-08-03 | RBC Capital | Target lowered | Outperform | $576 → $553 |
| 2026-08-03 | Bernstein | Target raised | Outperform | $559 → $564 |
| 2026-07-17 | Bernstein | Target raised | Outperform | $561 → $599 |
| 2026-07-10 | Evercore ISI Group | Target raised | Outperform | $515 → $525 |
Total return (dividends reinvested) (LIN)
| 1Y (from 2025-10-23) | 5Y (from 2021-10-18) | |
|---|---|---|
| Total return | +14.9% | +73.8% |
| S&P 500 (SPY) | +14.9% | +80.3% |
| Per year | +15.0% | +11.7% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 19.1% | 19.4% |
| Max drawdown | -16.0% (Jul 2026→Sep 2026) | -21.4% (Dec 2021→Sep 2022) |
Companies that name LIN in their SEC reports
| Relationship to LIN | Company | Filing | Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| customer | ClearSign Technologies Corp (CLIR) | 10-K Mar 31, 2026 | “Worldwide, suppliers of burners and air pollution control equipment include but are not limited to companies such as Callidus, Eclipse and Maxon (all three are subsidiaries of Honeywell), John Zink Hamworthy Combustion (a subsidiary of Koch Industries and including Coen), General Electric, Haldor Topsøe, Hitachi, Linde, Zeeco, Fives Group, Cleaver Brooks, Power Flame (a subsidiary of Aztec Inc.), among others.” |
| partner | BXP, Inc. (BXP) | 10-K Feb 27, 2026 | “Thomas, Linde and LaBelle are important to our success is that each has a national reputation, which attracts business and investment opportunities and assists us in negotiations with lenders, joint venture partners and other investors.” |
| customer | CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) | 10-K Feb 25, 2026 | “In June 2025, the Blue Point joint venture executed agreements, including a long-term supply agreement, with a subsidiary of Linde plc for them to design, construct, own, operate and maintain an air separation unit (ASU) at our Blue Point complex to supply oxygen and nitrogen to the low-carbon ATR ammonia production facility.” |
| competitor | Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. (APD) | 10-K Nov 20, 2025 | “Each of the regional industrial gases segments competes against three global industrial gas companies: Air Liquide S.A., Linde plc, and Messer Group GmbH, as well as regional competitors.” |
LIN analyst estimates and revisions
| Period | EPS estimate | 90 days ago | Change | Revenue estimate | Analysts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current quarter (ends Sep 2026) | $4.52 | $4.55 | -0.6% | $9.16B | 20 |
| Next quarter (ends Dec 2026) | $4.23 | $4.22 | +0.1% | $9.17B | 2 |
| Current fiscal year (ends Dec 2026) | $17.88 | $17.89 | -0.1% | $36.33B | 28 |
| Next fiscal year (ends Dec 2027) | $18.21 | $18.31 | -0.6% | $38.10B | 11 |
Key Statistics (as of October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC)
| Price | USD 510.36 |
|---|---|
| Change | ▲ 1.96% (up) |
| Previous Close | USD 500.57 |
| Open | USD 500.87 |
| Day Range | USD 500.29 – 510.84 |
| 52-Week Range | USD 387.78 – 548.2 |
| Volume | 1,956,913 shares |
| Market Cap | $235.27B |
| Exchange | NMS |
Technical Analysis (LIN)
Nexqual's technical model rates LIN "BUY" based on 5 bullish and 2 bearish signals across 127 daily candles, as of October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC.
| Overall Signal | BUY |
|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 72.06 (overbought) |
| vs SMA50 | Above (USD 480.04) |
| MACD | 7.64 (positive) |
Analyst Ratings (LIN)
Wall Street analysts rate LIN "Buy" based on 29 analysts, with a mean price target of USD 545.26 (range USD 400–591), per Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC.
| Consensus Rating | Buy |
|---|---|
| Analyst Count | 29 |
| Mean Target | USD 545.26 |
| High Target | USD 591 |
| Low Target | USD 400 |
| Buy / Hold / Sell | 23 / 5 / 1 |
Earnings (LIN)
| Next Earnings Date | 2026-10-29 |
|---|---|
| EPS Estimate | USD 4.52 |
| Revenue Estimate | $9.16B |
Recent Earnings History
| Quarter | Actual vs Estimate |
|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | USD 4.5 vs est 4.49 ▲ beat |
| 2026-03-31 | USD 4.33 vs est 4.27 ▲ beat |
| 2025-12-31 | USD 4.2 vs est 4.18 ▲ beat |
| 2025-09-30 | USD 4.21 vs est 4.18 ▲ beat |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC.
Financials & Fundamentals (LIN)
| Total Revenue | $35.45B |
|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (latest quarter, YoY) | +9.30% |
| Gross Margin | +48.35% |
| Operating Margin | +28.12% |
| Profit Margin | +20.43% |
| ROE | +18.40% |
| Debt / Equity | 0.69 |
| Current Ratio | 0.88 |
| Total Cash | $4.90B |
| Total Debt | $28.01B |
| Free Cash Flow (last four quarters to Jun 2026, SEC 10-Q / 10-K) | $4.97B (14.0% of revenue) |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC.
Financial Health Score (LIN)
Nexqual rates Linde plc's overall financial health "Solid" across five dimensions, as of October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC.
| Growth | Mixed — Revenue +3.0% YoY (annual), slow |
|---|---|
| Profitability | Strong — Gross margin 48%, operating 28% (last 12 months) |
| Balance Sheet | Mixed — $4.90B cash and investments vs $23.2B debt (Jun 2026, SEC) |
| Cash Flow | Solid — FCF $4.97B (last 4 quarters to Jun 2026, SEC), 14% margin |
| Efficiency | Solid — ROE 18%, ROA 7.2% |
Ownership (LIN)
| Insider Ownership | +0.25% |
|---|---|
| Institutional Ownership | +88.96% |
| Shares Outstanding | 460.98M |
| Float | 459.49M |
| Short % of Float | +1.30% |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC.
Leadership (LIN)
Linde plc is led by Sanjiv Lamba, CEO & Chairman of the Board, per Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC.
| CEO & Chairman of the Board | Sanjiv Lamba |
|---|---|
| Executive VP & CFO | Matthew J. White C.F.A. |
| COO & EVP | Sean F. Durbin |
| Vice President of Investor Relations | Juan Pelaez |
| President of ASEAN & South Asia | Moloy Banerjee |
Major Backers & Investors (LIN)
Notable institutional backers of Linde plc include Capital Group, Invesco, Price (T.Rowe) Associates Inc, according to Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC.
Active Investors
| Investor | Stake |
|---|---|
| Capital Group | 3.59% |
| Invesco | 3.16% |
| Price (T.Rowe) Associates Inc | 2.44% |
| FMR, LLC | 1.72% |
| Morgan Stanley | 1.52% |
| Fidelity | 1.24% |
Index Funds (Passive)
| Fund | Stake |
|---|---|
| Vanguard Group | 8.8% |
| BlackRock | 7.69% |
| State Street | 4.2% |
| Geode Capital | 2.46% |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC.
Peers & Related Stocks
| Symbol | Name | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| SHW | Sherwin-Williams Company (The) | USD 345.63 | ▲ 2.48% |
| ECL | Ecolab Inc. | USD 292.3 | ▲ 1.46% |
| APD | Air Products and Chemicals, Inc | USD 308.22 | ▲ 1.84% |
| PPG | PPG Industries, Inc. | USD 113.09 | ▲ 2.65% |
| IFF | International Flavors & Fragran | USD 93.83 | ▲ 3.08% |
| LYB | LyondellBasell Industries NV | USD 65.37 | ▲ 3.32% |
Data source: Nexqual — market data, technical indicators, analyst consensus, earnings, SEC EDGAR filings. Last updated: October 23, 2026 at 09:26 UTC. This page is informational and not investment advice.
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