Air Liquide tops France's CAC 40 after Q3 sales beat, confirmed guidance

** Shares in Air Liquide AIRP.PA rise 3.2%, to the top of France's blue-chip CAC 40 .FCHI index, after the industrial gas supplier reported Q3 revenue slightly above expectations and confirmed its 2026 and 2027 targets

** Q3 quarterly revenue grew 3% on a comparable basis to €7.26 billion ($8.09 billion), beating Vara analyst consensus by 1.4%

** Air Liquide reaffirmed its target to lift operating margin by 100 basis points in each of 2026 and 2027, excluding energy effects, while growing recurring net profit this year

** AlphaValue expects mild share support on "improvement in organic growth momentum", noting that results are broadly in line

** Jefferies also expects the shares to slightly rise, citing the company's 50bps beat on its G&S comparable growth and the previously-announced buyback starting earlier with €1 billion by end-2026

** Shares are on track for best day in eight months, if gains hold

($1 = 0.8971 euros)