Linde's Q4 Earnings Top on Promising Americas Business Unit

Core Viewpoint - Linde plc reported strong fourth-quarter earnings, with adjusted earnings per share surpassing estimates, although total revenues slightly missed expectations and declined year-over-year [1][2]. Financial Performance - Adjusted earnings were $3.97 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.93, and improved from $3.59 in the same quarter last year [2]. - Total quarterly revenues were $8.28 billion, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $8.36 billion and declining from $8.30 billion in the previous year [2]. Segment Analysis - The strong quarterly earnings were primarily driven by higher pricing and volumes from the Americas segment [3]. - The Americas business unit, which includes operations in 20 countries such as the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil, generated 46.4% of the total operating profit [4]. - Operating profit in the Americas segment increased nearly 7% year-over-year to $1.15 billion, while revenues from the segment were $3.6 billion, reflecting a modest increase of 0.7% [4][5].