LIN · Earnings call · 2026Q3T · Full report

Guidance / Outlook

LINDE PLC · 2026-10-29 · Importance 80 · Surprise 68 · In source text

For Q4 2026, management guided to EPS of $4.40–$4.50, representing 5%–7% growth, and assumed no economic improvement, including in Lincare. The full-year EPS guide was $17.82–$17.92, with the change in the expected FX benefit—from a strong 1% to a weak 2%—described as largely rounding. Management said its near-term view is cautious, with no meaningful Q4 profit improvement from Lincare embedded, and plans to provide 2027 guidance in February 2027.

Key facts

• LINDE PLC guided Q4 2026 EPS to $4.40–$4.50, representing 5%–7% growth, with a 1% sequential currency headwind and no assumed prior-year currency impact.
• LINDE PLC’s full-year 2026 EPS guidance was $17.82–$17.92.
• LINDE PLC’s Q4 2026 guidance assumes no economic improvement, including for Lincare, and embeds no meaningful Q4 profit change from recent Lincare actions.
• LINDE PLC expects Lincare sales trends to lag the market average while it trims the portfolio, but expects improvements in the quality and profitability of the remaining businesses.
• LINDE PLC’s full-year FX benefit estimate increased from a strong 1% in the prior quarter to a weak 2% in Q3 2026.
• LINDE PLC expected to provide more pronounced guidance for the overall business in February 2027.
• Linde expects normalization in Qatar to support placing additional helium molecules into the marketplace; it has signed long-term contracts.
• Linde could not predict when the Strait of Hormuz issues would be resolved or what helium supply would look like in 2027.

Impact estimates