Should I Buy LIN? LIN 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy Linde PLC (LIN) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Hold

Latest Price

448.240

1 Day change

-2.49%

52 Week Range

486.380

Analysis Updated At

2026/02/05

Should I buy Analysis is updated weekly. For real time "Should I Buy" analysis, please sign up to get free answers.

Not a good buy right now for an impatient entry: price is extended with RSI(6) ~89.7 (overbought) and sits just below near-term resistance (~472), increasing odds of a short-term pullback.
Quality remains high (earnings beat, defensive growth profile, strong backlog narrative), so this is more a timing issue than a broken story.
Preferred buy zone (if forced to act quickly): look for a dip toward ~458 pivot (or deeper supports ~444/435) rather than chasing near resistance.
Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals
- AI Stock Picker: No signal on given stock today.
- SwingMax: No signal on given stock today.

Technical Analysis

Trend/Momentum: MACD histogram +1.787 and expanding → bullish momentum remains intact.
Overbought condition: RSI_6 = 89.678 → statistically stretched; short-term mean-reversion risk is elevated.
Moving averages: “Converging” MAs suggests trend is losing acceleration, often seen near pause/coil areas.
Key levels:
- Pivot/support: 457.92 (first level to watch for a pullback entry)
- Resistance: 472.237 (R1) then 481.083 (R2)
- Deeper supports: 443.603 (S1) / 434.757 (S2)
Pattern-based forward bias (similar candlesticks): next day slightly negative bias and next month -1.52% expectation → supports a “don’t chase here” stance.

Options Data

Bearish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Bullish

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

Positioning/Sentiment:
- Open Interest Put/Call = 1.14 → more puts outstanding than calls (slightly cautious/hedged).
- Volume Put/Call = 0.79 → today’s flow leaned more to calls than puts (near-term bullish trading).
Volatility:
- 30D IV ~26.29 vs HV ~12.09 → options are pricing in much larger moves than recent realized volatility.
- IV Percentile ~94% (very elevated) → consistent with post-earnings/event premium; directional edge is harder if buying stock at an overbought level.
Activity: volume ~150% of 30D average → heightened interest around earnings; sentiment mixed but active.

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

- Earnings catalyst (Q4 2025, reported 2026-02-05 pre-market): non-GAAP EPS 4.20 vs 4.18 est; revenue $8.8B with ~6% YoY growth → supportive near-term headline.
- Business quality narrative: continued emphasis on project backlog and potential 2026 earnings growth acceleration (per sell-side commentary).
- Defensive growth positioning: industrial gases often viewed as steadier vs broader cyclicals; can attract capital on weak tape (S&P down ~0.47% today).

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

- Near-term technical risk: extremely overbought RSI + price near R1 resistance (~472) → higher probability of a pullback after the earnings reaction.
- Macro/volume headwind risk (per analyst notes): weak industrial production backdrop, especially Europe; potential 1–3% EPS drag from volume headwinds in 2026 (RBC view).
- Policy/trade risk: Citi noted potential fresh tariff risks despite a better currency/sales environment.
- Options imply bigger moves (IV far above HV): market pricing in uncertainty; after the event, momentum can fade quickly.

Financial Performance

Latest quarter referenced in financial snapshot: 2025/Q3
- Revenue $8.615B, +3.10% YoY
- Net income $1.929B, +24.45% YoY
- EPS 4.09, +27.02% YoY
- Gross margin 38.02%, +4.51% YoY
Most recent earnings news (Q4 2025):
- Non-GAAP EPS $4.20 (beat); revenue $8.8B with ~6% YoY growth
- Net income and GAAP diluted EPS were noted as pressured by acquisition accounting impacts (optics negative but not necessarily core deterioration).
Overall read: fundamentals show steady top-line growth with strong EPS leverage, supporting the longer-term thesis even if entry timing is currently unfavorable.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

Recent trend: predominantly Buy/Outperform maintained, with targets adjusted down by some (multiple compression) but also raised/upheld by others.
Notable changes:
- Citi (2026-01-21): PT raised to $540 (Buy)
- RBC (2025-12-12): PT cut to $490 from $540 (Outperform) after investor event; highlights macro/volume risks
- Mizuho (2025-12-11): PT cut to $495 (Outperform) mainly on lower multiples
- UBS (2025-11-11): Upgraded to Buy, PT $500; calls it defensive growth at attractive risk/reward
- BofA (2025-11-19): removed from “US 1 List” (less bullish emphasis)
Wall Street pros: high-quality backlog, pricing/productivity + capital allocation supporting trend EPS growth, potential 2026 acceleration.
Wall Street cons: Europe de-industrialization/weak IP, trade restriction/tariff risk, volume headwinds and valuation/multiple sensitivity.

17 Analyst Rating

Wall Street analysts forecast LIN stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for LIN is 499.07 USD with a low forecast of 455 USD and a high forecast of 540 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

15 Buy

2 Hold

0 Sell

Strong Buy

Current: 459.690

Low

455

Averages

499.07

High

540

Current: 459.690

Low

455

Averages

499.07

High

540

Mizuho

John Roberts

Outperform

maintain

$495 -> $525

AI Analysis

2026-02-06

New

Reason

Mizuho

John Roberts

Price Target

$495 -> $525

AI Analysis

2026-02-06

New

maintain

Outperform

Reason

Mizuho analyst John Roberts raised the firm's price target on Linde to $525 from $495 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares.

UBS

Buy

maintain

$500 -> $550

2026-02-06

New

Reason

UBS

Price Target

$500 -> $550

2026-02-06

New

maintain

Buy

Reason

UBS raised the firm's price target on Linde to $550 from $500 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. Linde reported in-line results that were "slightly less conservative" than expected, the analyst tells investors in a research note.

Unlock Full Analyst Thesis， Get the complete breakdown of rating reason for LIN

Unlock Now

LIN Should I Buy

LIN Should I Buy

Should You Buy Linde PLC (LIN) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Technical Analysis

Options Data

Technical Summary

Positive Catalysts

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Financial Performance

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

People Also Watch