Bichara Guillermo 4
4 · LINDE PLC · Filed Feb 18, 2026
Research Summary
AI-generated summary of this filing
Linde (LIN) Exec VP Guillermo Bichara Exercises Options, Sells Shares
What Happened
Guillermo Bichara, Executive Vice President & Chief Legal Officer of Linde plc (LIN), exercised 26,980 stock options on Feb 17, 2026 (exercise price $176.63), acquiring the same number of ordinary shares (value of exercised shares shown as $4,765,477). All 26,980 acquired shares were immediately used to satisfy withholding and sale obligations: 17,525 shares were withheld to cover exercise price and taxes (reported disposed at $480.18 per share, $8,415,155) and 9,455 shares were sold in the open market at $480.45 per share ($4,542,655). In total, the dispositions reported equal approximately $12.96 million. This pattern is a cashless exercise (exercise followed by withholding/sales) and is typically a routine tax/settlement step rather than a straightforward open-market purchase or holding increase.
Key Details
- Transaction date: 2026-02-17 (Form filed 2026-02-18).
- Option exercise: 26,980 shares acquired at $176.63 per share (total $4,765,477). (Transaction code M)
- Withholding to cover exercise/taxes: 17,525 shares withheld/disposed at $480.18 (total $8,415,155). (Transaction code F; footnote F1)
- Open-market sale: 9,455 shares sold at $480.45 (total $4,542,655). (Transaction code S)
- Total disposed proceeds reported: ~$12,957,810.
- Shares owned after the transaction: not specified in this filing.
- Relevant footnotes: F1 (ordinary shares withheld to cover exercise price and tax withholdings); F13 (conversion to Linde plc ordinary shares is one-for-one); F12 (historical corporate succession note).
- No late filing indicator provided in the submission.
Context
Because all 26,980 shares from the option exercise were either withheld for taxes/exercise costs or sold on the open market, this is effectively a cashless exercise and not an accumulation of new share ownership. Tax-withholding dispositions (F) are common after option exercises; they are administrative and do not necessarily signal the insider’s longer-term view. Transaction codes: M = option exercise, F = tax/withholding disposition, S = open-market sale.
Insider Transaction Report
- Exercise/Conversion
Ordinary Shares
2026-02-17$176.63/sh+26,980$4,765,477→ 49,117.769 total - Tax Payment
Ordinary Shares
[F1]2026-02-17$480.18/sh−17,525$8,415,155→ 31,592.769 total - Sale
Ordinary Shares
2026-02-17$480.45/sh−9,455$4,542,655→ 22,137.769 total - Exercise/Conversion
Stock Options (right to buy)
[F11]2026-02-17−26,980→ 0 totalExercise: $176.63Exp: 2029-03-20→ Ordinary Shares (26,980 underlying)
- 2,909.481(indirect: By 401(k))
Ordinary Shares
- 1,613
Restricted Stock Units
[F2]→ Ordinary Shares (1,613 underlying) - 1,570
Restricted Stock Units
[F3]→ Ordinary Shares (1,570 underlying) - 1,680
Restricted Stock Units
[F4]→ Ordinary Shares (1,680 underlying) - 11,326
Stock Options (right to buy)
[F5]Exercise: $468.77Exp: 2035-03-07→ Ordinary Shares (11,326 underlying) - 10,345
Stock Options (right to buy)
[F6]Exercise: $465.29Exp: 2034-03-07→ Ordinary Shares (10,345 underlying) - 11,085
Stock Options (right to buy)
[F7]Exercise: $354.14Exp: 2033-03-07→ Ordinary Shares (11,085 underlying) - 13,280
Stock Options (right to buy)
[F8]Exercise: $270.99Exp: 2032-03-07→ Ordinary Shares (13,280 underlying) - 20,975
Stock Options (right to buy)
[F9]Exercise: $253.68Exp: 2031-03-08→ Ordinary Shares (20,975 underlying) - 26,155
Stock Options (right to buy)
[F10]Exercise: $173.13Exp: 2030-03-09→ Ordinary Shares (26,155 underlying) - 799.876
Deferred Stock Units
[F12][F13][F14]→ Ordinary Shares (799.876 underlying)
Footnotes (14)
- [F1]Ordinary shares withheld to cover exercise price and tax withholdings.
- [F10]This option vests over three years in three consecutive equal annual installments beginning on March 9, 2021.
- [F11]This option vests over three years in three consecutive equal annual installments beginning on March 20, 2020.
- [F12]On March 1, 2023, Linde plc (formerly Rounderway plc), an Irish public limited company ("New Linde"), became the successor of Linde plc, an Irish public limited company ("Old Linde"), pursuant to a scheme of arrangement and merger under Irish law. Pursuant to the scheme of arrangement, all outstanding ordinary shares of Old Linde were exchanged, on a one-for-one basis, for ordinary shares of New Linde, and Old Linde subsequently merged into New Linde and ceased to exist. The transaction did not alter the relative interests of security holders.
- [F13]Conversion to Linde plc Ordinary Shares is on a one-to-one basis.
- [F14]Deferred stock units acquired under the Linde Compensation Deferral Plan as amended ("Plan"). The deferred stock units will payout in Linde plc Ordinary Shares on a one-for-one basis in accordance with the Plan.
- [F2]Restricted Stock Units that will vest in full and payout on or about March 7, 2028 in Linde plc Ordinary Shares on a one-for-one basis.
- [F3]Restricted Stock Units that will vest in full and payout on or about March 7, 2027 in Linde plc Ordinary Shares on a one-for-one basis.
- [F4]Restricted Stock Units that will vest in full and payout on or about March 7, 2026 in Linde plc Ordinary Shares on a one-for-one basis.
- [F5]This option vests over three years in three consecutive equal annual installments beginning on March 7, 2026.
- [F6]This option vests over three years in three consecutive equal annual installments beginning on March 7, 2025.
- [F7]This option vests over three years in three consecutive equal annual installments beginning on March 7, 2024.
- [F8]This option vests over three years in three consecutive equal annual installments beginning on March 7, 2023.
- [F9]This option vests over three years in three consecutive equal annual installments beginning on March 8, 2022.