BUSINESS COMBINATIONS

Merger of Praxair, Inc. and Linde AG

As described in Note 1, on October 31, 2018 Praxair and Linde AG combined their respective businesses through an all-stock transaction and became subsidiaries of the company.

In connection with the business combination, each share of common stock of Praxair par value $0.01 per share, (excluding any shares held in treasury immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, which were automatically canceled and retired for no consideration) was converted into one ordinary share, par value €0.001 per share, of Linde plc. Additionally, each tendered share of common stock of Linde AG was converted into 1.54 ordinary shares of Linde plc.

As provided in the business combination agreement, at the effective time of the business combination outstanding Praxair stock options and other equity awards were generally converted into stock options and equity awards on a 1:1 basis with respect to Linde shares. Outstanding Linde AG share-based compensation awards were either settled in cash (for the portion vested), or are required to be converted into similar stock options and equity awards with respect to Linde shares (for the portion unvested), after giving effect to the 1.54 exchange ratio. This grant is expected to occur in the first half of 2019. See Notes 16 and 17 for additional information.

Preliminary Allocation of Purchase Price

In accordance with the FASB’s ASC 805, "Business Combinations", Praxair was determined to be the accounting acquirer. As such, the company has applied the acquisition method of accounting with respect to the identifiable assets and liabilities of Linde AG, which have been measured at estimated fair value as of the date of the business combination.

In accordance with the business combination agreement, Linde AG shareholders that accepted the exchange offer received Linde shares in exchange for Linde AG shares at an exchange ratio of 1.54 Linde shares for each Linde AG share. Because Praxair is the accounting acquirer, the fair value of the equity issued by Linde plc to Linde AG shareholders in the exchange transaction was determined by reference to the market price of Praxair shares. Accordingly, the purchase consideration below reflects the estimated fair value of the 92% of Linde AG shares tendered and Linde shares issued in exchange for those Linde AG shares, which is based on the final closing price of Praxair shares prior to the effective time of the merger on October 31, 2018 of $164.50 per share.

The purchase price and estimated fair value of Linde AG’s net assets acquired as of the merger date on October 31, 2018 is presented as follows:



(in thousands, except value per share data, Linde AG exchange ratio, and purchase price)
Linde AG common stock tendered as of October 31, 2018 (i)	170,875 Shares
Business combination agreement exchange ratio (ii)	1.54 : 1
Linde plc ordinary shares issued in exchange for Linde AG	263,148
Per share price of Praxair, Inc. common stock (iii)	$164.50
Purchase price (millions of dollars)	$43,288



	(i)	Number of Linde AG shares tendered in the 2017 Exchange Offer.
	(ii)	Exchange ratio for Linde AG shares as set forth in the business combination agreement.
	(iii)	Closing price of Praxair shares on the New York Stock Exchange prior to the effective time of the business combination on October 31, 2018.

In accordance with ASC 805, Linde AG's assets and liabilities were measured at estimated fair values at October 31, 2018, primarily using Level 3 inputs except debt which was Level 1. Estimates of fair value represent management's best estimate of assumptions about future events and uncertainties, including significant judgments related to future cash flows (sales, costs, customer attrition rates, and contributory asset charges), discount rates, competitive trends, market comparables, and others. Inputs used were generally obtained from historical data supplemented by current and anticipated market conditions and growth rates.

The following table summarizes the preliminary allocation of purchase price to the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed by Linde, with the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of Linde AG’s net assets recorded as goodwill. Due to the timing of the business combination, the magnitude of and multi-national nature of the net assets acquired, and the hold separate order (See Note 1) which deferred integration of the two merged companies, at December 31, 2018 the valuation process to determine the fair values is not complete and further adjustments are expected in 2019. The company has estimated the preliminary fair value of net assets acquired based on information currently available and will continue to adjust those estimates as additional information becomes available, analysis is able to be performed, refinement of market participant assumptions, finalization of tax returns in the pre-merger period and the application of push-down accounting at the subsidiary level. The areas where the fair value assessments are not finalized and, therefore, subject to adjustment during the measurement period relate primarily to identifiable intangible assets, property, plant and equipment, net assets held for sale, equity investments, income taxes, noncontrolling interests, contingencies and goodwill. As the company finalizes the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, additional purchase price allocation adjustments will be recorded during the measurement period, but no later than one year from the date of the acquisition. The company will reflect measurement period adjustments in the period in which the adjustments are determined.

Therefore, final determination of the fair values will likely result in further adjustments to the values presented in the following table:



Millions of dollars	Estimated Fair Value
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$	1,363
Accounts receivable – net	2,859
Inventories	1,452
Assets held for sale	5,180
Prepaid and other current assets	1,251
Property, plant and equipment	19,381
Equity investments	1,395
Goodwill	24,146
Other intangible assets	15,592
Other long-term assets	1,024
Total Assets Acquired	$	73,643
Less: Liabilities Assumed
Accounts payable	$	3,360
Short-term debt	1,177
Current portion of long-term debt	1,864
Accrued taxes	159
Liabilities of assets held for sale	676
Other current liabilities	3,016
Long-term debt	6,295
Other long-term liabilities	1,908
Deferred credits, including deferred income taxes	6,754
Total Liabilities Assumed	$	25,209
Less: Noncontrolling Interests	5,146
Purchase Price (i)	$	43,288



	(i)	See above for the calculation of the purchase price.

Summary of Significant Fair Value Methods

The methods used to determine the fair value of significant identifiable assets and liabilities included in the preliminary allocation of purchase price are discussed below.

Inventories

Acquired inventory is comprised of finished goods, work in process and raw materials. The fair value of finished goods was calculated as the estimated selling price, adjusted for costs of the selling effort and a reasonable profit allowance relating to the selling effort. The fair value of work in process inventory was primarily calculated as the estimated selling price, adjusted for estimated costs to complete the manufacturing, estimated costs of the selling effort, as well as a reasonable profit margin on the remaining manufacturing and selling effort. The fair value of raw materials and supplies was determined based on replacement cost which approximates historical carrying value. The preliminary fair value step-up of inventories is being recognized in “Cost of sales” as the inventory is sold.

Assets held for sale and Liabilities of assets held for sale

As described in Note 1, as a condition of the European Commission ("EC"), the U.S. Department of Justice ("DOJ"), and other governmental regulatory authorities approval of the merger, Linde plc, Praxair and Linde AG were required to divest various businesses in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The fair value of these businesses has been determined based on the estimated net selling prices or sales agreements. Actual amounts may differ from this preliminary determination. See Note 4 for further information on merger-related divestitures.

Property, Plant and Equipment

The fair value of property, plant and equipment was primarily calculated using replacement costs adjusted for the age and condition of the asset, and is summarized below:



Property, plant and equipment ("PP&E")	(in millions)
Production plants	$	10,739
Storage tanks	1,809
Transportation equipment and other	574
Cylinders	2,493
Buildings	1,970
Land and improvements	647
Construction in progress	1,149
Preliminary fair value of PP&E	$	19,381

The final fair value determination for property, plant and equipment or estimates of remaining useful lives may differ from this preliminary determination.

Identifiable Intangible Assets

The fair value of identifiable intangible assets is summarized below:



		Weighted Average Amortization Period (in years)	(in millions)
Identifiable intangible assets
	Customer relationships	27	$	12,555
	Linde Brand	Indefinite	1,648
	Brands/Tradenames	27	578
	Other intangibles	8	811
Preliminary fair value of identifiable intangible assets		26	$	15,592

The fair value estimate for all other identifiable intangible assets is based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset, based on the most advantageous market for the asset (i.e., its highest and best use). The final fair value determination for identifiable intangibles or estimates of remaining useful lives may differ materially from this preliminary determination.

The fair value of the customer relationships intangible asset was valued using a multi-period excess earnings method, a form of the income approach, which incorporates the estimated future cash flows to be generated from Linde AG’s existing customer base. Excess earnings are the earnings remaining after deducting the market rates of return on the estimated values of contributory assets, including debt-free net working capital, tangible assets, and other identifiable intangible assets. The excess earnings are thereby calculated for each year of multi-year projection periods and discounted to present value.

Brands/Tradenames includes $1,648 million related to the Linde brand which is considered to have an indefinite life. Other intangibles primarily includes acquired technology. These intangible assets were valued using the relief from royalty method under the income approach; this method estimates the cost savings generated by a company related to the ownership of an asset for which it would otherwise have had to pay royalties or license fees on revenues earned through the use of the asset and discounted to present value.

Pension and Other Postretirement Liabilities

Linde recognized a pretax net liability representing the unfunded portion of Linde AG’s defined-benefit pension and other postretirement benefit ("OPEB") plans. Refer to Note 18 for further information on pensions and OPEB arrangements.

Long-Term Debt

The fair value for long-term debt was primarily obtained from third party quotes, as the majority of the Linde AG bond portfolio is publicly traded.

Deferred Income Tax Assets and Liabilities

The deferred income tax assets and liabilities include the expected future federal, state and foreign tax consequences associated with temporary differences between the preliminary fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed and the respective tax bases. Tax rates utilized in calculating deferred income taxes generally represent the enacted statutory tax rates at the effective date of the merger in the jurisdictions in which legal title of the underlying asset or liability resides. The final fair value of deferred income tax assets and liabilities may differ from this preliminary determination.

Refer to Note 7 for further information related to income taxes.

Noncontrolling Interests

Noncontrolling interests include the fair value of noncontrolling interests of Linde AG, including approximately $3.2 billion relating to the 8% of Linde AG shares which were not tendered in the Exchange Offer and are intended to be the subject of a cash-merger squeeze-out. The company’s wholly-owned indirect subsidiary, Linde Intermediate Holding AG "Linde Holding"), which directly owns the 92% of Linde AG shares acquired in the Exchange Offer, determined the adequate cash compensation to be paid to the 8% remaining Linde AG minority shareholders in exchange for the transfer of their Linde AG shares for each Linde AG share. The cash-merger squeeze-out was approved by the shareholders of Linde AG at an extraordinary shareholders meeting of Linde AG on December 12, 2018, but remains subject to court approval. Also, as required by German law, a guarantee was obtained from a financial institution guaranteeing the fulfillment of Linde Holding's obligations to pay the minority shareholders of Linde AG all amounts due in connection with the squeeze-out transaction. The remaining noncontrolling interests relate to the fair value of historic noncontrolling interests of Linde AG and its subsidiaries. The final fair value determination for noncontrolling interests may differ from this preliminary determination.

Equity Investments

The fair value of equity investments was determined using a discounted cash flow approach. The final fair value of equity investments may differ from this preliminary determination.

Other Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed (excluding Goodwill)

Linde utilized the carrying values, net of allowances, to value accounts and notes receivable and accounts payable as well as other current assets and liabilities as it was determined that carrying values represented the fair value of those items at the merger date.

Goodwill

The excess of the consideration for the merger over the preliminary fair value of net assets acquired was recorded as goodwill. The merger resulted in the recognition of $24,146 million of goodwill, which is not deductible for tax purposes. The goodwill balance is primarily attributed to the assembled workforce, expanded market opportunities and cost and other operating synergies anticipated upon the integration of the operations of Praxair and Linde AG. The push down of goodwill to reporting units is not final and may differ from this preliminary determination.

Results of Linde AG Operations Since Merger

The results of operations of Linde AG have been included in the company’s consolidated statements of income since the merger. The following table provides Linde AG “Sales” and “Income (loss) from continuing operations” included in the company's results since the merger.



Millions of dollars Linde AG Results of Operations	November 1, - December 31, 2018
Sales	$	2,873
Income (loss) from continuing operations*	$	(385	)

* Includes net charges of $451 million related to the impacts of purchase accounting.

Unaudited Pro Forma Information

Linde's unaudited pro forma results presented below were prepared pursuant to the requirements of ASC 805 and give effect to the merger as if it had been consummated on January 1, 2017. The pro forma results have been prepared for comparative purposes only, and do not necessarily represent what the revenue or results of operations would have been had the merger been completed on January 1, 2017. In addition, these results are not intended to be a projection of future operating results and do not reflect synergies that might be achieved.

The unaudited pro forma results include adjustments for the preliminary purchase accounting impact (including, but not limited to, depreciation and amortization associated with the acquired tangible and intangible assets, amortization of the fair value adjustment to investment in nonconsolidated affiliates, and reduction of interest expense related to the fair value adjustment to long-term debt along with the related tax and non-controlling interest impacts), the alignment of accounting policies, adjustments due to IFRS compliant reporting conversion to U.S. GAAP and the elimination of transactions between Praxair and Linde AG.

The unaudited pro forma results for all periods presented below exclude the results of operations of the Linde AG merger-related divestitures (See Note 4) as these divestitures are reflected as discontinued operations. The Praxair merger-related divestitures (See Note 4) are included in the results from continuing operations, including the results from Praxair's European business through the disposition date of December 3, 2018, in the unaudited pro forma results presented below, for all periods presented, as these divestitures do not qualify for discontinued operations.

The unaudited pro forma results are summarized below:



Millions of dollars	2018		2017
Sales (a)	$	29,774	$	28,449
Income from continuing operations	$	4,739	$	871

(a) Includes sales from Praxair's merger-related divestitures of $1,625 million and $1,553 million for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Significant nonrecurring amounts reflected in the pro forma results are as follows:

A $3,294 million gain ($2,923 million after tax) was recorded in the fourth quarter 2018 as a result of the divestiture of Praxair's European industrial gases business and is included in the December 31, 2018 pro forma income from continuing operations.

From January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2018, Praxair, Inc. and Linde AG collectively incurred pre-tax costs of $736 million ($680 million after tax) to prepare for and close the merger. These merger costs were reflected within the results of operations in the pro forma results as if they were incurred on January 1, 2017. Any costs incurred related to merger-related divestitures and integration and to prepare for the intended business separations were reflected in the pro forma results in the period in which they were incurred.

The company incurred pre-tax charges of $368 million ( $279 million after tax) and $10 million ($8 million after tax) in 2018 related to the fair value step‑up of inventories acquired and sold as well as a pension settlement due to the payout to certain participants as a result of change in control provisions within a U.S. nonqualified pension plan, respectively. The 2018 pro forma results were adjusted to exclude these charges. The pro forma results for 2017 were adjusted to include these charges, as well as charges incurred subsequent to December 31, 2018 but less than a year from the date of the merger of $13 million ($10 million after tax) related to the remaining fair value step-up of inventories to be sold and $51 million ($40 million after tax) related to an additional pension settlement within the U.S. nonqualified pension plan will occur in the first quarter of 2019 upon payment. See Note 18 for further information relating to the U.S. nonqualified pension plan settlements.

2018 Non-Merger Related Acquisitions

Non-merger related acquisitions of $25 million during the year ended December 31, 2018 are not material individually or in the aggregate.

2017 Acquisitions

During the year ended December 31, 2017, Linde had acquisitions totaling $33 million, primarily acquisitions of packaged gas businesses and a carbon dioxide joint venture in North America. These transactions resulted in goodwill and other intangible assets of $24 million and $3 million, respectively (see Notes 11 and 12).

2016 Acquisitions

During the year ended December 31, 2016, Linde had acquisitions totaling $363 million, primarily the acquisition of Yara International ASA's European carbon dioxide business ("European CO2 business") and packaged gases businesses in North America and Europe. These transactions resulted in goodwill and other intangible assets of $141 million and $82 million, respectively (see Notes 11 and 12). In addition, Linde purchased a remaining 34% share in a Scandinavian joint venture for $104 million (see Note 16).

On June 1, 2016 Linde completed an acquisition of a European CO2 business, which is a leading supplier of liquid CO2 and dry ice primarily to the European food and beverage industries. The business operates CO2 liquefaction plants and dry ice production facilities across the UK, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France and Italy. This acquisition was accounted for as a business combination; accordingly, the results of operations were consolidated from June 1, 2016 in the European business segment.

The purchase price for the acquisition was approximately $230 million (€206 million) and resulted in $121 million of intangible assets. The intangible assets primarily consist of $69 million of goodwill and $51 million of customer relationships that will be amortized over their estimated life of 20 years. This business was subsequently sold as part of the merger Divestitures (see Note 4).