New York, February 14, 2026, 14:19 EST — Market closed.
- Linde shares closed Friday up 1.74% at $481.10
- A Form 144 notice flagged a proposed sale of 75,607 shares
- U.S. markets reopen Tuesday after Monday’s Presidents Day holiday
Linde plc shares finished higher on Friday, extending a late-week rebound after a softer U.S. inflation report nudged traders back toward defensive names. The Nasdaq-listed industrial gases group closed at $481.10, up 8.24 points, or 1.74%. (Linde)
Why it matters now: the inflation print cooled at the headline level, keeping rate-cut talk alive into a holiday-shortened week. The Consumer Price Index rose 0.2% in January and was up 2.4% from a year earlier; “core” CPI, which strips out food and energy, rose 0.3% on the month and was up 2.5% year-on-year, Reuters reported. (Reuters)
Wall Street’s tone was still uneven. The S&P 500 ended barely higher on Friday while the Nasdaq fell, as investors faded mega-cap tech into the long weekend. “We’ve been on wobbly legs a couple of weeks now,” said Michael James, managing director at Rosenblatt Securities. (Reuters)
Linde also outperformed key industrial gas peer Air Products & Chemicals, which dropped about 4% on Friday, MarketWatch data showed. The split mattered because investors often treat the group as a read-through on industrial demand, but individual names can trade very differently on positioning. (MarketWatch)
A separate development on Friday: a Form 144 notice filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission showed a holder planned to sell 75,607 Linde shares, with an aggregate market value of about $36.1 million. Form 144 is a notice tied to Rule 144, the SEC rule that governs resales of restricted or “control” stock; it is not the same as a completed sale. (SEC)
The timing is awkward for traders because U.S. equity markets are shut on Monday for Washington’s Birthday, also known as Presidents Day. Trading resumes Tuesday, February 17. (New York Stock Exchange)
Beyond the holiday, macro catalysts stack up quickly. A Reuters “Take Five” preview flagged U.S. data in the coming week including an advance reading of fourth-quarter GDP, a consumer sentiment survey and the personal consumption expenditures price index — the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge. (Reuters)
For Linde specifically, investors will listen for any demand or pricing color when management hits the conference circuit. The company’s calendar lists appearances at Citi’s Global Industrial Tech and Mobility Conference on February 17 and Barclays’ Industrial Select Conference on February 18. (Linde)
The backdrop is still Linde’s recent earnings guidance. The company said on February 5 it expected 2026 earnings per share to rise 5% to 8% excluding currency effects, after beating fourth-quarter estimates on higher pricing and productivity moves. (Reuters)
But the path is not clean. Core inflation remains firmer than many rate-cut bulls want, and any renewed rise in Treasury yields can squeeze the “quality” trade that has supported big, steady compounders. A sharper slowdown in manufacturing would also test the idea that industrial gases can stay insulated.
Into Tuesday’s reopen, the first company-specific test is whether conference remarks change expectations on volumes, backlog and capital returns — or simply confirm the steady-growth story investors have been paying up for. The next headline risk, meanwhile, is Wednesday and Thursday’s macro run, with markets looking for signals on rates and growth.
