Linde AG H1 Profit Rises, Revenues Down; Confirms FY18 View - Quick Facts

(RTTNews) - German gas and engineering company Linde AG (LDE.L, LNAGF.PK) reported Wednesday that its first-half earnings per share grew to 4.37 euros from 3.19 euros last year.

Earnings per share adjusted for special items were 4.66 euros, compared to 3.83 euros a year go.

Group operating profit rose 3.5 percent to 2.21 billion euros from prior year's 2.14 billion euros. After adjusting for exchange rate effects, the increase was 10.1 percent. At 25.6 percent, the Group operating margin was significantly higher than last year's 23.9 percent.

Group revenue was 8.64 billion euros, down from 8.94 billion euros a year ago. Revenue: grew 4.7 percent after adjusting for exchange rate effects and the impact of the first-time application of IFRS 15.

Further, the company confirmed outlook for 2018. After adjusting for the impact of IFRS 15 and for exchange rate effects, Group revenue in 2018 is expected to be similar to that achieved in 2017 or to increase by up to 4 percent.

Group operating profit after adjusting for exchange rate effects is expected to lie within a range from the prior-year figure to 5 percent higher.

Regarding its deal with Praxair, the company said the merger control and regulatory processes are in full swing and completion of merger remains planned for the second half of 2018.