Cash Flow Statement
Quarterly Data

The cash flow statement provides information about a company cash receipts and cash payments during an accounting period, showing how these cash flows link the ending cash balance to the beginning balance shown on the company balance sheet.

The cash flow statement consists of three parts: cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities, cash flows provided by (used in) investing activities, and cash flows provided by (used in) financing activities.

Linde plc, consolidated cash flow statement (quarterly data)

US$ in millions

3 months ended:	Jun 30, 2026	Mar 31, 2026	Dec 31, 2025	Sep 30, 2025	Jun 30, 2025	Mar 31, 2025	Dec 31, 2024	Sep 30, 2024	Jun 30, 2024	Mar 31, 2024	Dec 31, 2023	Sep 30, 2023	Jun 30, 2023	Mar 31, 2023	Dec 31, 2022	Sep 30, 2022	Jun 30, 2022	Mar 31, 2022	Dec 31, 2021	Sep 30, 2021	Jun 30, 2021	Mar 31, 2021
Net income, Linde plc	1,928)	1,857)	1,530)	1,929)	1,766)	1,673)	1,725)	1,550)	1,663)	1,627)	1,543)	1,565)	1,575)	1,516)	1,328)	1,273)	372)	1,174)	1,026)	979)	841)	980)
Income from discontinued operations, net of tax and noncontrolling interests	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	(2)	(1)	(1)	(1)
Noncontrolling interests from continuing operations	44)	43)	43)	43)	40)	34)	44)	53)	37)	38)	33)	36)	37)	36)	33)	27)	38)	36)	30)	31)	36)	38)
Income from continuing operations, including noncontrolling interests	1,972)	1,900)	1,573)	1,972)	1,806)	1,707)	1,769)	1,603)	1,700)	1,665)	1,576)	1,601)	1,612)	1,552)	1,361)	1,300)	410)	1,210)	1,054)	1,009)	876)	1,017)
Cost reduction program and other charges	(32)	(44)	210)	(57)	(32)	18)	(21)	127)	(20)	(55)	(27)	(30)	—)	(61)	(7)	(13)	956)	(34)	15)	(12)	171)	(76)
Depreciation and amortization	963)	951)	950)	961)	942)	910)	913)	960)	958)	949)	949)	959)	960)	948)	956)	1,045)	1,091)	1,112)	1,135)	1,163)	1,171)	1,166)
Deferred income taxes	(20)	8)	(7)	(445)	(22)	9)	166)	(124)	(149)	(35)	88)	(111)	(65)	4)	29)	(191)	(162)	(59)	(70)	(106)	(13)	(65)
Share-based compensation	19)	41)	31)	45)	46)	42)	40)	42)	40)	38)	39)	36)	36)	30)	29)	27)	17)	34)	33)	32)	34)	29)
Accounts receivable	(290)	(361)	257)	(70)	(79)	(230)	38)	224)	(61)	(361)	83)	6)	(44)	(131)	149)	(29)	(203)	(340)	(14)	(151)	(210)	(178)
Inventory	(41)	(48)	84)	(1)	(45)	9)	24)	55)	4)	(27)	(2)	(40)	(26)	(59)	(47)	(156)	(109)	(35)	(52)	(35)	18)	(60)
Prepaid and other current assets	—)	(52)	59)	77)	(107)	26)	7)	—)	(12)	(50)	35)	70)	(34)	(5)	(46)	12)	(16)	(107)	101)	(5)	44)	(64)
Payables and accruals	56)	35)	(83)	434)	(290)	(209)	101)	15)	(328)	(65)	100)	190)	(394)	(64)	(69)	306)	19)	51)	316)	92)	(30)	69)
Contract assets and liabilities, net	(180)	(108)	(96)	46)	43)	(65)	(99)	(121)	(139)	(50)	(164)	(121)	183)	(66)	(59)	126)	51)	192)	777)	479)	(140)	191)
Working capital	(455)	(534)	221)	486)	(478)	(469)	71)	173)	(536)	(553)	52)	105)	(315)	(325)	(72)	259)	(258)	(239)	1,128)	380)	(318)	(42)
Pension contributions	(11)	(7)	(5)	(5)	(10)	(5)	(6)	(5)	(13)	(11)	(11)	(10)	(15)	(10)	(7)	(25)	(6)	(13)	(10)	(4)	(16)	(12)
Long-term assets, liabilities and other	(165)	(75)	57)	(9)	(41)	(51)	(123)	(45)	(51)	(44)	61)	(30)	(63)	(230)	(194)	234)	85)	(11)	(52)	94)	(78)	92)
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities	299)	340)	1,457)	976)	405)	454)	1,040)	1,128)	229)	289)	1,151)	919)	538)	356)	734)	1,336)	1,723)	790)	2,179)	1,547)	951)	1,092)
Net cash provided by operating activities	2,271)	2,240)	3,030)	2,948)	2,211)	2,161)	2,809)	2,731)	1,929)	1,954)	2,727)	2,520)	2,150)	1,908)	2,095)	2,636)	2,133)	2,000)	3,233)	2,556)	1,827)	2,109)
Capital expenditures	(1,438)	(1,342)	(1,458)	(1,276)	(1,257)	(1,270)	(1,250)	(1,066)	(1,133)	(1,048)	(1,151)	(948)	(859)	(829)	(936)	(762)	(826)	(649)	(839)	(741)	(744)	(762)
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired	(232)	(153)	(19)	(123)	(158)	(112)	(142)	(23)	(152)	—)	(111)	(8)	(26)	(808)	—)	(61)	(6)	(43)	(57)	—)	(21)	(10)
Divestitures, net of cash divested and asset sales	11)	112)	11)	7)	11)	13)	16)	132)	15)	7)	36)	10)	21)	3)	55)	123)	(10)	27)	20)	70)	56)	21)
Other investing, net	1)	(1)	5)	(42)	(53)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)	—)
Net cash used for investing activities	(1,658)	(1,384)	(1,461)	(1,434)	(1,457)	(1,369)	(1,376)	(957)	(1,270)	(1,041)	(1,226)	(946)	(864)	(1,634)	(881)	(700)	(842)	(665)	(876)	(671)	(709)	(751)
Short-term debt borrowings (repayments), net	49)	339)	(466)	82)	260)	165)	863)	101)	(705)	(631)	799)	871)	(2,315)	1,199)	821)	57)	756)	1,416)	(1,698)	(712)	377)	704)
Long-term debt borrowings	1,958)	58)	2,084)	5)	719)	2,340)	8)	8)	2,372)	2,456)	65)	8)	2,055)	60)	919)	—)	(5)	2,296)	23)	2,209)	17)	34)
Long-term debt repayments	(26)	(733)	(624)	(9)	(633)	(1,012)	(332)	(16)	(347)	(610)	(31)	(10)	(1,099)	(542)	(60)	(22)	(537)	(1,166)	(647)	(3)	(761)	(57)
Issuances of ordinary shares	19)	3)	3)	5)	4)	11)	3)	7)	5)	16)	8)	4)	8)	13)	12)	2)	12)	10)	11)	7)	15)	17)
Purchases of ordinary shares	(871)	(807)	(1,390)	(989)	(1,111)	(1,111)	(1,334)	(667)	(1,440)	(1,041)	(1,033)	(1,158)	(908)	(859)	(690)	(1,149)	(1,610)	(1,719)	(1,361)	(1,169)	(1,214)	(868)
Cash dividends, Linde plc shareholders	(738)	(741)	(698)	(701)	(704)	(708)	(659)	(662)	(665)	(669)	(616)	(620)	(623)	(623)	(586)	(581)	(585)	(592)	(541)	(546)	(549)	(553)
Noncontrolling interest transactions and other	(70)	(87)	73)	(175)	99)	(73)	(159)	(44)	(28)	(189)	28)	(59)	(10)	(12)	(26)	(27)	(34)	(1)	(4)	(42)	(30)	(247)
Net cash provided by (used for) financing activities	321)	(1,968)	(1,018)	(1,782)	(1,366)	(388)	(1,610)	(1,273)	(808)	(668)	(780)	(964)	(2,892)	(764)	390)	(1,720)	(2,003)	244)	(4,217)	(256)	(2,145)	(970)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	5)	15)	(4)	(9)	104)	40)	(160)	60)	(73)	(61)	49)	(73)	1)	16)	76)	(115)	(97)	62)	(17)	(66)	68)	(46)
Change in cash and cash equivalents	939)	(1,097)	547)	(277)	(508)	444)	(337)	561)	(222)	184)	770)	537)	(1,605)	(474)	1,680)	101)	(809)	1,641)	(1,877)	1,563)	(959)	342)

The financial trajectory of the entity is characterized by a steady expansion in net income and a robust capacity for generating cash from operating activities. Over the analyzed period, net income demonstrates a general upward trend, rising from approximately 980 million US dollars in the first quarter of 2021 to 1,928 million US dollars by the second quarter of 2026. This growth is mirrored in the net cash provided by operating activities, which consistently exceeds net income, peaking at 3.03 billion US dollars in the fourth quarter of 2025. This gap is primarily driven by significant non-cash charges, specifically depreciation and amortization, which remain a substantial and consistent addition to operating cash flow.

Operating Cash Flow and Profitability: A strong correlation exists between the growth in net income and cash provided by operating activities. While net income experienced a notable dip in the second quarter of 2022, operating cash flow remained resilient, suggesting that the underlying business model maintains strong liquidity regardless of short-term accounting profit volatility. The consistent positive cash flow from operations provides a sustainable foundation for the company's aggressive investment and shareholder return strategies.
Capital Expenditure and Investment Trends: A clear and consistent increase in capital expenditures is observed, scaling from approximately 762 million US dollars per quarter in early 2021 to over 1.4 billion US dollars by mid-2026. This suggests a long-term strategic commitment to expanding production capacity or upgrading infrastructure. Additionally, investing activities are periodically impacted by significant acquisitions, such as the 808 million US dollar outflow in the first quarter of 2023, indicating a strategy of growth through inorganic expansion alongside organic capital investment.
Shareholder Returns and Capital Allocation: The entity maintains a disciplined and aggressive policy of returning capital to shareholders. Cash dividends show a steady upward trajectory, increasing from 553 million US dollars per quarter in early 2021 to 738 million US dollars by the end of the period. Simultaneously, the purchase of ordinary shares remains a primary use of cash, with quarterly buybacks frequently exceeding 1 billion US dollars. These activities are funded by a combination of operating cash flows and periodic long-term debt issuances.
Financing and Debt Management: Financing activities exhibit a cyclical pattern of large-scale debt issuance followed by staggered repayments. Significant long-term debt borrowings are observed in the first quarters of 2022, 2024, and 2025, and the fourth quarter of 2025. These spikes in borrowing appear to offset the heavy outflows associated with share repurchases and capital expenditures, ensuring that the entity maintains liquidity while optimizing its capital structure.
Working Capital Volatility: Working capital movements are highly volatile, characterized by significant swings in accounts receivable and payables. Large negative impacts on cash flow from working capital are evident in the first quarter of 2024 and the first quarter of 2026, often offset by positive adjustments in other quarters. This volatility suggests sensitivity to timing differences in payments and collections, though it does not appear to impair the overall cash position due to the strength of operating cash flows.

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Linde plc (NASDAQ:LIN)

Cash Flow StatementQuarterly Data

Cash Flow Statement
Quarterly Data