Linde 10-Q 2023-06-30

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2023

or

For the transition period from to

LINDE PLC

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

N/A

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

At June 30, 2023, 487,945,864 ordinary shares (€0.001 par value) of the Registrant were outstanding.

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Non-GAAP Measures

Throughout MD&A, the company provides adjusted operating results exclusive of certain items such as Other charges, net gains or losses on sale of businesses, purchase accounting impacts of the Linde AG merger and pension settlement charges. Adjusted amounts are non-GAAP measures which are intended to supplement investors’ understanding of the company’s financial information by providing measures which investors, financial analysts and management find useful in evaluating the company’s operating performance. Items which the company does not believe to be indicative of on-going business performance are excluded from these calculations so that investors can better evaluate and analyze historical and future business trends on a consistent basis. In addition, operating results, excluding these items, is important to management's development of annual and long-term employee incentive compensation plans. Definitions of these non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similar definitions used by other companies and are not a substitute for similar GAAP measures.

The non-GAAP measures and reconciliations are separately included in a later section in the MD&A titled "Non-GAAP Measures and Reconciliations."

Consolidated Results

The following table provides summary information for the quarters and six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022. The reported amounts are GAAP amounts from the Consolidated Statements of Income. The adjusted amounts are intended to supplement investors' understanding of the company's financial information and are not a substitute for GAAP measures:

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Refer to Item 7A. to Part II of Linde's 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K for discussion.

(a)Based on an evaluation of the effectiveness of Linde's disclosure controls and procedures, which was made under the supervision and with the participation of management, including Linde's principal executive officer and principal financial officer, the principal executive officer and principal financial officer have each concluded that, as of the end of the quarterly period covered by this report, such disclosure controls and procedures are effective in ensuring that information required to be disclosed by Linde in reports that it files under the Exchange Act of 1934 is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms, and accumulated and communicated to management including Linde's principal executive officer and principal financial officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

(b)There were no changes in Linde's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarterly period covered by this report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, Linde's internal control over financial reporting.

PART II - OTHER INFORMATION

Linde plc and Subsidiaries

See Note 9 to the condensed consolidated financial statements for a description of current legal proceedings.

Through the quarterly period covered by this report, there have been no material changes to the risk factors disclosed in Item 1A to Part I of Linde's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

Purchases of Equity Securities- Certain information regarding purchases made by or on behalf of the company or any affiliated purchaser (as defined in Rule 10b-18(a)(3) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) of its ordinary shares during the quarter ended June 30, 2023 is provided below:

(1) On February 28, 2022, the company's board of directors approved the repurchase of $10.0 billion of its ordinary shares ("2022 program") which could take place from time to time on the open market (and could include the use of 10b5-1 trading plans), subject to market and business conditions. The 2022 program has a maximum repurchase amount of 15% of outstanding shares, began on March 1, 2022 and expires on July 31, 2024.

As of June 30, 2023, the company repurchased $6.4 billion of its ordinary shares pursuant to the 2022 program. As of June 30, 2023, $3.6 billion of share repurchases remain authorized under the 2022 program.

Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities

None.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

On June 15, 2023, Sean Durbin, Executive Vice President, EMEA, adopted a written plan for certain transactions in the Ordinary Shares of Linde plc that is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of SEC Rule 10b5–1(c) (the “Plan”). The Plan will terminate on May 31, 2024, or earlier if, among other things, all the Ordinary Share transactions have been completed before such date. Under the Plan, Ordinary Shares may be sold if specified minimum market limit sale prices are achieved as follows: (1) 1,810 Ordinary Shares if such shares are acquired pursuant to the vesting and payout of previously granted restricted stock units, (2) 4,200 Ordinary Shares if such shares are acquired pursuant to the vesting and payout of previously granted performance share units, assuming a payout at the target number of units granted (the actual payout, if any, may be more or less than the 4,200 share target payout); and (3) 4,000 Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of a previously granted stock option.

*Indicates a management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.

SIGNATURE

Linde plc and Subsidiaries

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.