Linde PLCLINBUYFeb 28, 2023Stock price when the opinion was issued
Largest in their field of industrial gases -- a boring, but growing, area. Hydrogen, for example, will be increasingly used in more intricate applications. Facilities are found beside every major manufacturing plant for petrochemicals, food/beverage, and healthcare. Once it's put in place on the ground, almost impossible to dislodge. Barriers to entry are monumental. Very little competition.
Excellent, strategic small M&A deals. Consistently delivers excellent earnings growth, huge buybacks of stock. Brilliantly managed. Yield is 1.32%.
Unsung hero when it comes to industrial processes. A proxy for industrial activity. Recent pressure on hydrogen. Tactical opportunity to buy a high-quality company for the long term. Oligopoly structure. Well managed. Best and biggest of the bunch.
Mid-high single-digit organic earnings growth, irrespective of economic environment. He's adding today. Can hold for the next 10 years. Yield is 1.45%.
Provides mission-critical, processed gases to a range of industries. Builds plants next door to client plants with 30-year, take-or-pay contracts. Reliability is key. World's #1, most efficient, highest margins. Long-term secular growth. Also getting involved in carbon capture. Yield is 1.25%.
(Analysts’ price target is $511.37)In last decade, has grown 19% annually on average, and that's without the dividend. Industrial gases from oxygen in hospitals to acetylene for welding. Biggest. Share buybacks and dividend increases. Strong returns for a long time. Tariff noise gave new money a chance to get in. Global scope and good execution. Yield is 1.32%.
(Analysts’ price target is $496.19)
Linde consistently beats earnings. In early February, Linde reported their Q4 2022 EPS at $3.16 beating the expected $2.91. Increased prices and greater volumes meant higher revenues, specifically in the Americas which enjoyed a 12% YOY rise in operating profits. Linde also has a $9 billion backlog from clients who span everything from healthcare to making semiconductors and food supplies. One future use will be supplying Taiwan Semiconductor‘s new plant in Arizona; Linde will build a $600-million gas facility. Read: Buying pullbacks: DOL, UNH, Linde for our full analysis.