Air Liquide reports quarterly revenue beat, confirms margin targets

Oct 29 (Reuters) - French industrial gases company Air Liquide AIRP.PA reported third-quarter revenue above market expectations on Thursday, supported by strong growth in its Electronics and Industrial Merchant divisions, and confirmed its margin targets for 2026 and 2027.

Quarterly revenue grew 3% on a comparable basis to €7.26 billion ($8.10 billion). Analysts polled by Vara were expecting sales of €7.16 billion on average.

"The key development this quarter is the acceleration of volume growth in Electronics and Industrial Merchant segments, going beyond positive pricing effects. While subject to fluctuations in this volatile environment, this is a very positive sign," CEO François Jackow said in a statement.

Air Liquide said it still expected to raise its operating margin by 100 basis points in both 2026 and 2027, excluding energy effects, while growing its recurring net profit at constant exchange rates this year, for a total 560-basis-point improvement over 2022-2027.

It also launched the first €1 billion tranche of its €4 billion share buyback programme, with purchases set to begin on Friday and to be completed by the end of 2026.

($1 = 0.8959 euros)