Linde sees another year of steady growth as Q4 results beat forecasts

By Bartosz Dabrowski

Feb 5 (Reuters) - Linde LIN.O, the world's largest industrial gases company, on Thursday beat expectations for fourth-quarter results and said it expected earnings to keep growing in 2026, citing higher pricing and productivity initiatives across business areas.

The U.S.-German company is seen as a bellwether for industrial production as it supplies gases for a wide range of customers in industries such as chemicals, manufacturing, steel-making, and food and beverages.

Linde reported a 6% rise in its adjusted earnings per share to $4.20 in the October-December period, ahead of analysts' mean estimate of $4.18 per share, according to LSEG data.

The supplier of gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen to factories and hospitals has consistently beaten earnings estimates in recent years, thanks to its stable long-term industrial contracts, diverse customer base and growing hydrogen investments as countries look to cut back on emissions.

The company forecast growth of 5% to 8% in 2026 earnings per share, excluding negative currency exchange effects. For the first quarter, Linde sees growth of 3-6% on the same basis.

Exchange rates will have a bigger impact in the first three months of the year, before easing in later quarters, it said.

Linde's total sales grew 6% to $8.76 billion in the fourth quarter, against analysts' average forecast of $8.64 billion.