Linde raises lower end of 2026 guidance after Q2 earnings beat

For the third quarter, Linde expects adjusted diluted earnings of $4.45 to $4.55 per share, up 6% to 8% from the same period last year.

Its total sales grew 9% to $9.29 billion in the second quarter, which also beat analysts' forecast of $8.99 billion, based on LSEG data.

July 31 (Reuters) - Linde, the world's largest industrial gases company, raised the bottom end of its full-year earnings forecast on Friday after reporting second-quarter results that beat market expectations.

It now expects 2026 adjusted earnings of $17.70 to $17.90 per share, having previously guided for $17.60 to $17.90 per share.

The U.S.-German company, which supplies gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen to factories and hospitals, reported a 10% rise in adjusted earnings per share to $4.50 in the April-June period.

That was ahead of analysts' mean estimate of $4.48 per share, according to LSEG data.

Earlier on Friday, Linde said it had secured a new long-term agreement to supply ultra-high-purity industrial gases to one of the world's largest semiconductor manufacturers and would invest about related to that.