Latest news with #Lindeplc
Associated Press
01-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Linde Reports First-Quarter 2025 Results
WOKING, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 1, 2025-- Linde plc (Nasdaq: LIN) today reported first-quarter 2025 net income of $1,673 million and diluted earnings per share of $3.51, up 3% and 5% respectively. Excluding Linde AG purchase accounting impacts and other charges, adjusted net income was $1,880 million, up 3% versus prior year. Adjusted earnings per share was $3.95, 5% above prior year. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: Linde's sales for the first quarter were $8,112 million, flat versus prior year. Compared to prior year, underlying sales increased 1% from 2% price attainment partially offset by 1% lower volumes largely driven by the manufacturing and metals & mining end markets. First-quarter operating profit was $2,184 million. Adjusted operating profit of $2,438 million was up 4% versus prior year led by higher price and continued productivity initiatives across all segments. Adjusted operating profit margin of 30.1% was 120 basis points above prior year. First-quarter operating cash flow of $2,161 million increased 11% versus prior year. After capital expenditures of $1,270 million, free cash flow was $891 million. During the quarter, the company returned $1,808 million to shareholders through dividends and stock repurchases, net of issuances. Commenting on the financial results and business outlook, Chief Executive Officer Sanjiv Lamba said, 'While first quarter macroeconomic headwinds largely played out as anticipated, Linde employees delivered another resilient performance by expanding operating margins 120 basis points to 30.1%, growing EPS (excluding FX) by 8%, and maintaining industry leading return on capital of 25.7%. These results were achieved through disciplined capital allocation and proactive management actions.' Lamba continued, 'Looking forward, while we remain cautious on the economic outlook, I'm confident the Linde business model can continue to create shareholder value in any environment.' For the second quarter of 2025, Linde expects adjusted diluted earnings per share in the range of $3.95 to $4.05, up 3% to 5% versus prior-year quarter or 5% to 7% when excluding 2% of estimated currency headwind. For the full year 2025, the company expects adjusted diluted earnings per share to be in the range of $16.20 to $16.50, up 4% to 6% versus prior year or 6% to 8% when excluding 2% of estimated currency headwind. Full-year capital expenditures are expected to be in the range of $5.0 billion to $5.5 billion to support growth and maintenance requirements including the $7.0 billion contractual sale of gas project backlog. First-Quarter 2025 Results by Segment Americas sales of $3,666 million were 3% higher versus prior-year quarter. Compared with first quarter 2024, underlying sales increased 4% driven by 3% higher pricing and 1% higher volumes, primarily in the electronics, chemicals & energy end markets. Operating profit of $1,137 million was 31.0% of sales, 40 basis points above prior year. APAC (Asia Pacific) sales of $1,539 million were down 3% versus prior year. Compared with first quarter 2024, underlying sales were lower by 1% driven by stable pricing offset by 1% lower volumes, primarily in the metals & mining and manufacturing end markets. Operating profit of $451 million was 29.3% of sales, 120 basis points above prior year. EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) sales of $2,031 million were down 3% versus prior year. Compared with first quarter 2024, underlying sales were 1% lower, driven by 2% higher pricing more than offset by 3% lower volumes, primarily in the metals & mining and chemicals & energy end markets. Operating profit of $722 million was 35.5% of sales, 260 basis points above prior year. Linde Engineering sales were $565 million, 5% higher versus prior year, and operating profit was $114 million or 20.2% of sales. Order intake for the quarter was $516 million and third-party sale of equipment backlog was $3.3 billion. Earnings Call A teleconference on Linde's first-quarter 2025 results is being held today at 9:00 am EDT. Materials to be used in the teleconference are also available on the website. About Linde Linde is a leading global industrial gases and engineering company with 2024 sales of $33 billion. We live our mission of making our world more productive every day by providing high-quality solutions, technologies and services which are making our customers more successful and helping to sustain, decarbonize and protect our planet. The company serves a variety of end markets such as chemicals & energy, food & beverage, electronics, healthcare, manufacturing, metals and mining. Linde's industrial gases and technologies are used in countless applications including production of clean hydrogen and carbon capture systems critical to the energy transition, life-saving medical oxygen and high-purity & specialty gases for electronics. Linde also delivers state-of-the-art gas processing solutions to support customer expansion, efficiency improvements and emissions reductions. For more information about the company and its products and services, please visit Adjusted amounts, free cash flow and return on capital are non-GAAP measures. See the attachments for a summary of non-GAAP reconciliations and calculations for adjusted amounts. Attachments: Summary Non-GAAP Reconciliations, Statements of Income, Balance Sheets, Statements of Cash Flows, Segment Information and Appendix: Non-GAAP Measures and Reconciliations. *Note: We are providing adjusted earnings per share ('EPS') guidance for 2025. This is a non-GAAP financial measure that represents diluted earnings per share from continuing operations (a GAAP measure) but excludes the impact of certain items that we believe are not representative of our underlying business performance, such as cost reduction and other charges, the impact of potential divestitures or other potentially significant items. Given the uncertainty of timing and magnitude of such items, we cannot provide a reconciliation of the differences between the non-GAAP adjusted EPS guidance and the corresponding GAAP EPS measure without unreasonable effort. Forward-looking Statements This document contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are identified by terms and phrases such as: anticipate, believe, intend, estimate, expect, continue, should, could, may, plan, project, predict, will, potential, forecast, and similar expressions. They are based on management's reasonable expectations and assumptions as of the date the statements are made but involve risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation: the performance of stock markets generally; developments in worldwide and national economies and other international events and circumstances, including trade conflicts and tariffs; changes in foreign currencies and in interest rates; the cost and availability of electric power, natural gas and other raw materials; the ability to achieve price increases to offset cost increases; catastrophic events including natural disasters, epidemics, pandemics such as COVID-19 and acts of war and terrorism; the ability to attract, hire, and retain qualified personnel; the impact of changes in financial accounting standards; the impact of changes in pension plan liabilities; the impact of tax, environmental, healthcare and other legislation and government regulation in jurisdictions in which the company operates; the cost and outcomes of investigations, litigation and regulatory proceedings; the impact of potential unusual or non-recurring items; continued timely development and market acceptance of new products and applications; the impact of competitive products and pricing; future financial and operating performance of major customers and industries served; the impact of information technology system failures, network disruptions and breaches in data security; and the effectiveness and speed of integrating new acquisitions into the business. These risks and uncertainties may cause future results or circumstances to differ materially from adjusted projections, estimates or other forward-looking statements. Linde plc assumes no obligation to update or provide revisions to any forward-looking statement in response to changing circumstances. The above listed risks and uncertainties are further described in Item 1A. Risk Factors in Linde plc's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 filed with the SEC on February 26, 2025 which should be reviewed carefully. Please consider Linde plc's forward-looking statements in light of those risks. View source version on CONTACT: Investor Relations Juan Pelaez [email protected] +1-203-837-2213Media Relations Anna Davies [email protected] +44-1483-244-705 KEYWORD: EUROPE UNITED STATES UNITED KINGDOM NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: OIL/GAS MANUFACTURING ENERGY OTHER ENERGY ENGINEERING SOURCE: Linde plc Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 05/01/2025 07:40 AM/DISC: 05/01/2025 07:40 AM
Business Wire
28-04-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Linde Declares Dividend in Second Quarter 2025
WOKING, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Linde plc (Nasdaq: LIN) announced its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly dividend of $1.50 per share. The dividend is payable on June 18, 2025 to shareholders of record on June 4, 2025. About Linde Linde is a leading global industrial gases and engineering company with 2024 sales of $33 billion. We live our mission of making our world more productive every day by providing high-quality solutions, technologies and services which are making our customers more successful and helping to sustain, decarbonize and protect our planet. The company serves a variety of end markets such as chemicals & energy, food & beverage, electronics, healthcare, manufacturing, metals and mining. Linde's industrial gases and technologies are used in countless applications including production of clean hydrogen and carbon capture systems critical to the energy transition, life-saving medical oxygen and high-purity & specialty gases for electronics. Linde also delivers state-of-the-art gas processing solutions to support customer expansion, efficiency improvements and emissions reductions. For more information about the company and its products and services, please visit
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Linde plc (LIN): Among the Best Materials Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds
We recently compiled a list of the . In this article, we are going to take a look at where Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) stands against the other material stocks. Materials stocks are those companies that produce chemicals, construction materials, and paper products. Businesses involved in the exploration and processing of commodities are also included in this sector. Materials demand is cyclical, rendering sector players extremely vulnerable to economic fluctuations. The demand for basic materials tends to drop when economic conditions deteriorate, which lowers prices and impacts the profitability of material producers. However, the materials sector can be impacted by a variety of factors, including the economic cycle. Supply chain challenges, legislation, and inflation are just a few of the many factors that could impact demand, prices, and industry profitability in the materials industry. After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, a new challenge arose in the industry. The region provides essential metals for steel production and exports minerals for fertilizer, such as potash; therefore, the war caused disruptions in the worldwide supply chain for resources. Most basic materials' costs increased due to supply constraints, which had a significant impact on both the industry and the overall economy. Looking forward, a cautiously positive view for the materials sector in 2025 has been strengthened by long-term structural demand and improved macroeconomic conditions. Persistent economic concerns in the United States and a noticeable slowdown in China, two important markets for industrial materials, burdened the sector in 2024. However, according to Fidelity, the situation seems more favorable for growth in 2025 as China implements economic stimulus measures and central banks in major economies currently lean toward monetary easing. Some subsectors stand to benefit from both a short-term cyclical recovery and advantageous long-term supply-demand imbalances, especially those related to copper and other crucial inputs for infrastructure and electrification. Furthermore, the sector's rate-sensitive industries, such as chemicals, may gain from lower interest rates, while more robust, high-quality firms may provide defensive strength. The sector is positioned for a potentially better performance in 2025 due to a combination of financial assistance, a possible recovery in Chinese demand, and strategic exposure to growth-linked materials. Currently, according to a strategist for equity derivatives at Barclays, Stefano Pascale, options traders are undervaluing the risks associated with materials stocks because the sector's predicted volatility is close to historic lows, making downside protection cheap. Steel and paper companies are among the materials stocks that are susceptible to tariffs because of their dependence on international supply chains, and additional tariffs are anticipated to be announced soon by President Trump. Despite this, Pascale commented: "The volatility market is giving you an exceptionally good opportunity here of cheap materials puts. Even if you didn't have a trade war, this would be, historically speaking, a very attractive trade." Materials underperformed in 2018 due to Trump's tariffs, and similar drops may be seen this year, with the Dow down 7%. According to statistics provided by Bloomberg Intelligence, sell-side analysts have lowered their expectations for the material sector, anticipating earnings to climb 5.9% this year, down from an estimate of 16% in January. However, traders must consider liquidity risks, as the bid-ask spread for materials options is $0.20, as opposed to $0.04 for broader market options. We sifted through the Materials ETFs and online rankings to form an initial list of the 25 materials stocks. From the resultant dataset, we chose 11 stocks with the highest number of hedge fund investors, using Insider Monkey's database of 1009 hedge funds in Q4 2024 to gauge hedge fund sentiment for stocks. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter's strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (). A scientist in a lab coat inspecting a cylinder filled with industrial gas. Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 70 Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) is the world's biggest industrial gas provider, operating in over 100 different countries. The company's primary products include equipment for industrial gas production, process gases (such as hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and helium), and atmospheric gases (such as oxygen, nitrogen, and argon). It provides services to various end markets, including steelmaking, manufacturing, chemicals, and healthcare. In 2024, the firm made around $33 billion in revenue. It is among the best materials stocks. In 2024, the business achieved impressive success, investing $2 billion in the DOW (Canada) project for low-carbon (blue) hydrogen generation and landing over 59 modest on-site contracts for sustainable energy provision. Over 40% of Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN)'s overall power consumption is now low-carbon, with the company increasing its active low-carbon and renewable energy usage by 19% year over year. The business made $4.8 billion in total investments in its operations. The operating margin improved to 29.5%, a 190-basis-point improvement from 2023, while annual sales hit $33 million, a modest increase from $32 million in 2023. In 2024, Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) generated a healthy $9.4 billion operating cash flow. After deducting new issuances, the firm disbursed $7.1 billion to shareholders in dividends and share repurchases and set aside $4.5 billion for capital expenditures. For the last 31 years in a row, the company has been paying out growing dividends to its stockholders. Overall, LIN ranks 4th on our list of the best materials stocks to buy according to hedge funds. While we acknowledge the potential of LIN as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than LIN but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this . READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stock To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at . Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Linde plc (LIN): Among the Best UK Stocks to Buy According to Billionaires
We recently published a list of . In this article, we are going to take a look at where Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) stands against other best UK stocks to invest in. Like most of the world, the United Kingdom is also facing slower economic growth in 2025, fuelled by an unpredictable trading environment and high taxes. According to KPMG, there are some upsides to the UK economy this year, including solid household savings and robust public spending. However, American tariffs could limit UK GDP growth to only 0.8% during 2025 and 2026. In the short term, inflation will likely come back due to growing labor costs and skyrocketing energy prices. Nonetheless, KPMG forecasts that inflation will simmer down to the Bank of England's target of 2% by the middle of next year. What came as a surprise was the UK economy going up by 0.1% in Q4 2024, a welcome reprieve from the sodden economic outlook painted by market experts. This made Britain the top performer in Europe during the fourth quarter, as Italy remained flat and German and French economies shrunk. However, the UK economy fell short of the 0.6% growth in the United States. In light of these economic developments, Scott Gardner, investment strategist at JP Morgan-owned wealth manager Nutmeg, told Reuters on February 13, 2025: "A pleasant surprise, but we're not out of the woods yet. Beneath the surface of these latest figures, domestic demand via consumption and business investment was weaker than expected," As per Britain's Office for National Statistics, wholesalers, film distributors, pubs and bars, industrial manufacturers, and pharma led the growth in December 2024. However, it should be noted that this growth was dependent on monetary support from the government and a brief pile-up in business inventories. In addition, flat spending trends were observed in households, and business investment stumbled by 3.2% in Q4. The Bank of England has now slashed its growth outlook for 2025 to 0.75%, while the National Institute of Economic and Social Research remains optimistic with a 1.5% forecast. Investor optimism is increasing around the UK, given the rising trade tensions between the United States and Europe. While UK economic growth has lagged in recent years, BofA analysts expect it to pick up pace in 2025, projecting 1.4% growth. Analysts see positive signs like deregulation, capital spending, and potential US trade benefits. Sanjay Raja, chief UK economist at Deutsche Bank, told CNBC on March 24, 2025: 'Talk of a U.S. trade deal also surfaced in client conversations, and there was increased optimism that the U.K. may be spared from direct and widespread tariffs,' It is interesting to note that no matter the macroeconomic conditions, the rich seem to be getting richer. A scientist in a lab coat inspecting a cylinder filled with industrial gas. To collect data for this article, we scanned Insider Monkey's database of billionaires' stock holdings and identified the companies headquartered in the UK but listed on American exchanges. From there, we picked the top 10 companies with the highest number of billionaire investors in Q4 2024. The stocks are ranked in ascending order based on the number of billionaire investors. We have also mentioned the value of billionaire holdings for further insight. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter's strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (). Number of Billionaire Investors: 11 Value of Billionaire Holdings: $800.38 million Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) is a UK-based industrial gas company that operates worldwide. It supplies gases like oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide and also constructs large-scale gas processing plants. The company works with several industries, including healthcare, energy, manufacturing, food and beverage, and electronics. On February 24, Berenberg assigned a Buy rating to LIN with a price target of $505, up from $470. The investment firm credited Linde's financial performance for the optimistic outlook since the company has shifted its strategy from improving margins and returns to a capex-led growth model. On February 25, Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) declared a quarterly dividend of $1.50 per share, an 8% increase from the last payout. This is the 32nd consecutive year that LIN has raised its common dividend. The dividend was paid on March 27, to shareholders listed as of March 13. It is one of the best UK stocks to buy. Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN)'s Q4 2024 net income and diluted earnings per share came in at $1.72 billion and $3.60, up 12% and 14%, respectively. Linde's sales in the fourth quarter stood at $8.2 billion, flat compared to the prior year. The operating cash flow rose 3% year-over-year to $2.80 billion, and free cash flow stood at $1.55 billion. Linde also returned nearly $2 billion to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends. In the fourth quarter of 2024, 11 billionaires owned stakes worth over $800 million in Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN). Overall, LIN ranks 6th among the 10 Best UK Stocks to Buy According to Billionaires. While we acknowledge the potential of UK stocks, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than LIN but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this . READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is Linde plc (LIN) the Best Stock for 15 Years?
We recently published a list of . In this article, we are going to take a look at where Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) stands against other best stocks for 15 years. Russell Investments believes that 3 features are defining the market outlook for 2025. These include the elevated level of the S&P 500 forward P/E ratio, the potential for further US dollar strength, as well as the direction of the US 10-year Treasury yield. The active equity managers have been challenged by the severe market concentration. The firm opines that a flattening out of such trends— which can be seen due to policy shifts or change in sentiments related to earnings growth and valuations for mega caps — can support active manager outperformance. Russell Investments remains focused on sectors in which AI adoption has been ramping up, including industrials, healthcare, and consumer goods. As per the firm, companies that leverage AI for productivity improvements remain well-placed to gain a lasting competitive edge and provide healthy returns. Therefore, skilled active managers are required to look for such companies, primarily those that are in less-covered segments of the market. READ ALSO: and . With respect to real assets, Russell Investments sees attractive investment opportunities in real estate and infrastructure, mainly sectors that can benefit from the stabilization of long-term interest rates and favorable relative valuations in comparison to other growth assets. The application of AI in real estate, like data centers and healthcare facilities, continues to emerge as a critical growth area. Furthermore, the infrastructure investments continue to gain momentum from energy utilities and pipeline exposures, given the US administration's emphasis on expanding LNG (liquified natural gas) production. The firm also believes that an early focus on deregulation and tax cuts would likely be well-received by equity investors. Overall, an expected US soft landing, together with anticipated policy moderation on trade and immigration, creates specific opportunities for well-positioned portfolios, says Russell Investments. We sifted through the holdings of iShares Core S&P 500 ETF and shortlisted the companies that have 10-year revenue growth of over ~10%. Next, we selected stocks that were the most popular among elite hedge funds. We have ranked the stocks in ascending order of hedge fund sentiment. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter's strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here). A scientist in a lab coat inspecting a cylinder filled with industrial gas. Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) operates as an industrial gas company. Analyst Laurence Alexander from Jefferies maintained a 'Buy' rating on the company's stock with the price objective of $535.00. The analyst's rating is backed by a combination of factors demonstrating a favourable outlook for Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN)'s future performance. As per the analyst, the expected growth in sectors including electronics, food and beverage, and healthcare can fuel sales and EPS by 2025, despite worries in the cyclical markets such as metals and energy. Furthermore, amidst uncertainties associated with trade policies and potential policy shifts, Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN)'s emphasis on on-site volumes and productivity improvements can fuel its sales growth and protect margins, says Alexander. Elsewhere, analyst John Roberts CFA from Mizuho Securities maintained a 'Buy' rating. This rating is backed by factors demonstrating the company's stability and growth potential in a challenging economic environment. Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN)'s performance in the industrial gases sector, which remains a reliable indicator of industrial cycles, is stable throughout both consumer and industrial-facing segments, says Roberts. Mar Vista Investment Partners, LLC, an investment management company, released its Q3 2024 investor letter. is what the fund said: 'Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN) is the world's largest, global industrial gas producer. The company enjoys the highest profit margins and returns on capital in the industry. Linde's primary products are atmospheric gases and process gases. Industrial gases have benefitted from secular growth trends in decarbonization and carbon sequestration. Moreover, the opportunity in blue and green ammonia and hydrogen are substantial. Projects in these areas are quickly being added to its backlog for future growth. We see these secular trends as long-term positives for Linde and the entire industrial gas industry. Overall, LIN ranks 15th on our list of best stocks for 15 years. While we acknowledge the potential of LIN as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some deeply undervalued AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for a deeply undervalued AI stock that is more promising than LIN but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Sign in to access your portfolio
