(Reuters) – Linde, the world’s largest industrial gases company, hiked its 2021 earnings forecast on Thursday, as a strong performance in its healthcare and electronics businesses helped it beat first quarter forecasts.
The U.S.-German company, which supplies gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen to factories and hospitals, now expects adjusted earnings per share of $9.60-$9.80, up 17-19% year-on-year.
It had previously guided for adjusted earnings per share up 11-13% to $9.10 to $9.30 for 2021.
(Reporting by Sarah Morland and Veronica Snoj in Gdansk. Editing by Mark Potter)
