Wells Fargo analyst Michael Sison initiated coverage of Linde plc with an Outperform rating and $223 price target. He sees the near-term earnings outlook for the company being "strong," with growth projected to come from integration, positive pricing and volume from new projects. He also sees significant margin expansion potential over the longer-term from integration synergy and "a new high-performance corporate culture," Sison tells investors.

Linde announced it has signed two agreements with China South Steel, a member of the China Baowu Steel Group Corporation, one of the world's largest steel enterprises. Linde has signed an agreement to de-captivate an air separation unit, or ASU, at China South Steel's plant in Shaoguan, Guangdong Province. Linde already owns and operates five on-site ASUs to supply industrial gases to China South Steel in Shaoguan and will now de-captivate and upgrade a sixth. The agreement brings Linde's total on-site production capacity in Shaoguan to approximately 130,000 cubic meters per hour. In addition to the de-captivation, Linde has extended its long-term agreement with China South Steel for the supply of industrial gases at Shaoguan. Linde's industrial gases complex also meets demand from Linde's local merchant customers.