- Prev close
- $489.98
- Day range
- $486.20 – $493.04
- From 52-wk high
- -10.6%
- Next earnings
- in 82 days
Linde’s -5.9% move looks stock-specific rather than market-led, coming after Q2 results with record sales and EPS but also margin pressure and a rich 31.2 P/E. The setup is mixed: the business is still growing, but the valuation leaves less room for a sharp re-rating.
LIN
LINDE PLC
As of Aug 2, 2026
58/100
Worth keeping an eye onHealth ScoreWhy it moved
The primary driver looks stock-specific: LIN fell -5.9% while the S&P 500 rose +0.7% and the Nasdaq 100 rose +0.6%. That gap is too large to blame on the broad market alone, and the company’s own recent news points to an earnings-related reset after Q2 results with sales of US$9.289b, net income of US$1.928b, and commentary about margin pressures and helium disruptions. The intraday path also fits a sell-off, opening at $474.98 and recovering only partway to a $478.38 close after a low of $466.882.
Volatility read
This is more than ordinary noise, mainly because the stock trades on a rich 31.2 P/E and 26.9 forward P/E, with a PEG of 3.98 — its P/E divided by growth, so investors are paying 3.98x the growth rate — which leaves less margin for disappointment. The underlying operating picture is still solid, with revenue +5.0% YoY (TTM), latest quarter +8.3% YoY, EPS +9.4% YoY (TTM), gross margin +48.8%, operating margin +26.5%, and net margin +20.4%. Beta of 0.73 says it is usually less volatile than the market, so a -5.9% move alongside intact growth and margins reads as an earnings-driven repricing rather than a normal beta-like swing. Analyst consensus is still skewed positive, at 6 strong-positive, 17 positive, 5 neutral, 1 negative, and 0 strong-negative, so there is no obvious sign of a broad consensus cut in the facts.
Earnings preview
The next earnings date is 2026-10-29. The fact set does not include forward consensus revenue or EPS estimates, so I cannot quote an expected growth rate or margin outlook for that report period. What the market will likely focus on, based on the recent Q2 print, is whether sales momentum like US$9.289b and margin pressure from helium disruptions and LinCare headwinds improve, whether EPS can keep outrunning revenue, and whether the new long-term contracts in semiconductors and renewable power translate into steadier margin recovery. Prior post-earnings reaction history is not available in the facts this period, so I won’t infer a pattern.
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