Linde (LIN) Surpasses Q1 Earnings Estimates

Core Viewpoint - Linde reported quarterly earnings of $3.95 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.93 per share, and showing an increase from $3.75 per share a year ago, indicating a positive earnings surprise of 0.51% [1] Group 1: Earnings Performance - The company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates for the last four quarters [2] - Linde's revenues for the quarter ended March 2025 were $8.11 billion, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.77%, and remained relatively flat compared to year-ago revenues of $8.1 billion [2] - The company has not beaten consensus revenue estimates over the last four quarters [2] Group 2: Stock Performance and Outlook - Linde shares have increased approximately 8.3% since the beginning of the year, contrasting with the S&P 500's decline of -5.3% [3] - The future performance of Linde's stock will depend on management's commentary during the earnings call and the company's earnings outlook [3][4] - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $4.14 on revenues of $8.39 billion, and for the current fiscal year, it is $16.43 on revenues of $33.91 billion [7] Group 3: Industry Context - The Chemical - Specialty industry, to which Linde belongs, is currently ranked in the bottom 41% of over 250 Zacks industries, which may impact stock performance [8] - Empirical research indicates a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions, suggesting that investors should monitor these revisions closely [5][6]