Woking, United Kingdom-based Linde plc (LIN) operates as an industrial gas company worldwide. The company has a market cap of $228 billion and offers atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and rare gases; and process gases, such as hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, electronic gases, specialty gases, and acetylene.
LIN shares have lagged behind the broader market over the past year, grew 11.4% compared to the S&P 500 Index ($SPX) 31% surge. However, in 2026, the stock has surged 18.3%, rallying the SPX’s 8.3% rise.
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Focusing on its industry benchmark, the State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLB) has risen 23.6% over the past year, outperforming the stock. In 2026, XLB surged 15.2% and has lagged behind the stock.
On May 1, LIN stock grew 1.4% following the release of its Q1 2026 earnings. The company’s sales for the quarter grew 8% from the prior year’s quarter to $8.8 billion. Moreover, its adjusted EPS rose 10% from its year-ago value to $4.33. For the second quarter of 2026, Linde expects adjusted diluted earnings per share in the range of $4.40 to $4.50, up 8% to 10% from last year’s same quarter.
For the current year, which ends in December, analysts expect LIN’s EPS to rise 8.5% to $17.86 on a diluted basis. The company surpassed the consensus estimate in each of the last four quarters.
Among the 18 analysts covering LIN stock, the consensus is a “Strong Buy.” That’s based on 18 “Strong Buy” ratings, two “Moderate Buys,” and four “Holds.”
This configuration has remained mostly stable in recent months.
On May 6, RBC Capital analyst Arun Viswanathan maintained a “Buy” rating on Linde and set a price target of $570.
LIN’s mean price target of $543.41 indicates a premium of 7.7% from the current market prices. Its Street-high target of $585 suggests a 16% upside potential from current price levels.
On the date of publication, Aritra Gangopadhyay did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com