Company: LIN
Filing Date: 2025-02-26
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001628280-25-007990
Chunk: 44

Company: LINDE PLC
Filing Date: 2025-02-26
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 8
Chunk 44
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 plc on July 26, 2021. The 2021 Plan permits awards of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock and restricted stock units, performance-based stock units and other equity awards to eligible officer and non-officer employees and non-employee directors of the company and its affiliates. As of December 31, 2024, 7,149,967 shares remained available for equity grants under the 2021 Plan, of which 2,226,852 shares may be granted as awards other than options or stock appreciation rights.Exercise prices for options granted under the 2021 Plan may not be less than the closing market price of the company’s ordinary shares on the date of grant and granted options may not be re-priced or exchanged without shareholder approval. Options granted under the 2021 Plan subject only to time vesting requirements may become partially exercisable after a minimum of one year after the date of grant but may not become fully exercisable until at least three years have elapsed from the date of grant, and all options have a maximum duration of ten years. In order to satisfy option exercises and other equity grants, the company may issue authorized but previously unissued shares or it may issue treasury shares. Stock Option Fair ValueThe company utilizes the Black-Scholes Options-Pricing Model to determine the fair value of stock options consistent with that used in prior years. Management is required to make certain assumptions with respect to selected model inputs, including anticipated changes in the underlying stock price (i.e., expected volatility) and option exercise activity (i.e., expected life). Expected volatility is based on the historical volatility of the company’s stock over the most recent period commensurate with the estimated expected life of the company’s stock options and other factors. The expected life of options granted, which represents the period of time that the options are expected to be outstanding, is based primarily on historical exercise experience. The expected dividend yield is based on the company’s most recent history and expectation of dividend payouts. The risk-free rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant for a period commensurate with the estimated expected life. If factors change and result in different assumptions in future periods, the stock option expense that the company records for future grants may differ significantly from what the company has recorded in the current period.The weighted-average fair value of options granted during 2024 was $112.63 ($83.69 in 2023 and $45.07 in 2022) based on the Black-S