Linde Surpasses Q1 Earnings on Higher Americas Pricing

Linde plc LIN reported first-quarter 2025 adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $3.95, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.93. The bottom line also improved from the year-ago quarter’s figure of $3.75.Total quarterly revenues of $8,112 million missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $8,258 million. However, the top line increased from the year-ago quarter’s level of $8,100 million. (Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.)The strong quarterly earnings were primarily driven by higher pricing and a rise in volumes from the Americas segment. The positives were partially offset by lower contributions from the EMEA segment, which was affected by lower volumes in the metals & mining and chemicals & energy end markets.Linde PLC Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Linde PLC price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Linde PLC QuoteLIN’s Segmental HighlightsThe operating profit of Linde’s Americas segment increased 4.5% from $1,088 million in the prior-year quarter to $1,137 million. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the same was pinned at $1,160 million. The segment was aided by higher pricing and a rise in volumes, primarily across the electronics, and chemicals & energy end markets.Linde’s profit in the EMEA segment increased by approximately 5.1% year over year to $722 million. Additionally, profit from this segment beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $709 million. The growth was aided by higher pricing, partially affected by lower volumes in the metals & mining and chemicals & energy end markets.The APAC segment's profit increased from $447 million a year ago to $451 million, which met the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The growth was supported by stable pricing in the segment.Operating profit in the Engineering segment increased to $114 million from the prior-year quarter’s $100 million. The reported figure beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $96 million.BacklogsAt the end of the first quarter, the company’s high-quality project backlog amounted to $10.3 billion, comprising a sale-of-gas backlog of $7 billion.Linde’s Capital Investment & Balance SheetLinde reported capital expenditures of $1.27 billion for the first quarter. It ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $5.29 billion and long-term debt of $17.6 billion.LIN’s Q2 & 2025 GuidanceFor the second quarter of 2025, Linde estimates adjusted EPS to lie in the range of $3.95 to $4.05. For 2025, it expects adjusted EPS to be in the range of $16.20-$16.50. The company reiterated full-year capital expenditure guidance to be between $5 billion and $5.5 billion.LIN’s Zacks Rank and Key PicksLIN currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).Some well-known stocks from the Basic Materials sector are Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd. ASM, Hawkins Inc. HWKN and B2Gold Corp. BTG. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Avino Silver & Gold is scheduled to release first-quarter earnings on May 13. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Avino Silver & Gold’s first-quarter earnings is pegged at 3 cents per share, which indicates a 50% increase from the prior-year reported figure. ASM currently flaunts a Zacks Rank #1.Hawkins is scheduled to release first-quarter earnings on May 14. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Hawkins’ first-quarter earnings is pegged at 74 cents per share, which indicates a 12.12% increase from the prior-year reported figure. HWKN currently sports a Zacks Rank #1.B2Gold is scheduled to release first-quarter earnings on May 7. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BTG’s first-quarter earnings is pegged at 8 cents per share, which indicates a 33.33% increase from the prior-year reported figure. BTG currently holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.This top pick is among the most innovative financial firms. With a fast-growing customer base (already 50+ million) and a diverse set of cutting edge solutions, this stock is poised for big gains. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Linde PLC (LIN): Free Stock Analysis Report B2Gold Corp (BTG): Free Stock Analysis Report Avino Silver (ASM): Free Stock Analysis Report Hawkins, Inc. (HWKN): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks