LIN
Linde plc
$490.47
▲ 0.1%Updated Aug 7, 11:30 AM ET
LIN at a glance — five pillars scored 0–100 from real filed financials.
Overall: Neutral · 54/100. A wider, greener shape means more pillars look healthy. Dividends scores 0 when a company pays none — that is a choice, not a flaw.
▲ Up 11.7% over the last 12 months
Market Cap
$252.88B
P/E
32.04x
Forward P/E (est.)
29.3x
ROE
18.4%
Revenue Growth
5.0%
EPS Growth
9.4%
Profit Margin
20.4%
FCF Yield
3.7%
Debt / Equity
0.71x
ROIC
12.0%
Interest Coverage
—
Current Ratio
0.83x
Dividend Yield
1.2%
Implied Growth (rev. DCF)
6.8%
Rating Score
54/100
Linde plc (LIN) is a mega-cap company in the Industrial Gases industry, part of the Materials sector of the S&P 500, with a market value around $252.88B.
In its latest reported year it generated about $33.99B in revenue and $6.90B in net profit.
Our model rates LIN Neutral (54/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.
Evidence of durable competitive advantage in the filed financials (10 years of history).
Some durable-advantage evidence, but not across the board — dig into which ingredient is weak and whether it's cyclical or structural.
25.6% average over the last 3 years
±7.1 pts around 21.0% across 10 years
grew in 7 of the last 9 year-over-year periods
positive in 6 of 6 years
12.0% latest fiscal year
A moat can't be proven by numbers alone — this scores the evidence a durable advantage leaves behind (pricing power, consistency, returns on capital), computed the same way for every stock. Pair it with the business overview before concluding anything.
Technical analysis reads price and volume to judge momentum and timing. It complements the fundamentals above — it does not replace them. Here is what LIN's chart says today, with each tool explained.
Trend — moving averages. A moving average is the average closing price over a window, which smooths out daily noise. LIN trades near $490.47, around its 50-day average ($509.89) and 200-day average ($469.59). Price tangled in its moving averages means there is no clear trend — the stock is ranging.
Momentum — RSI. The Relative Strength Index runs 0–100 and measures how strong recent gains are versus losses. Above 70 is "overbought", below 30 "oversold". At 68 it is in neutral territory — neither stretched nor washed out.
MACD. MACD compares two moving averages to flag shifts in momentum. Its histogram is currently positive — short-term momentum is improving.
Volatility — ATR. Average True Range is the typical daily move. LIN's is $11.59 (~2.4% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.
Support & resistance. Over the last month LIN found buyers near $499.95 (support) and sellers near $547.22 (resistance); its 52-week range is $387.78–$547.22. A decisive break beyond either edge often marks the next move.
Volume. The latest session traded 0.9× the 20-day average — about normal. Rising volume on up-days suggests real buying; on down-days, real selling.
Educational information to help you read a chart — not a recommendation or a forecast. It updates daily as the price and indicators change.
4Y CAGR
2.5%
Revenue moved from $10.53B in 2016 to $33.99B in 2025, a 13.9% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year was roughly flat (5.0%) year over year. Slower, mature growth is common for established businesses.
Gross Margin
48.8%
Operating Margin
26.3%
Net Margin
20.3%
ROE
18.4%
Linde plc keeps about 20.4% of each sales dollar as net profit, with a 48.8% gross margin and 26.3% operating margin. Return on equity is 18.4% and return on invested capital about 12.0%. Margins this wide usually signal pricing power or a cost advantage.
Total Debt
$21.50B
Net Debt
$17.54B
Net Debt / EBITDA
1.97x
Debt / Equity
0.71x
Leverage: debt-to-equity is 0.7x, with a current ratio of 0.8x. That is a moderate, manageable debt load for most businesses. It carries roughly $21.50B of total debt against $3.96B of cash.
Operating CF
$10.35B
Free Cash Flow
$5.09B
FCF Margin
15.0%
In the latest year Linde plc produced about $10.35B of operating cash flow and $5.09B of free cash flow after capital spending. That is a free-cash-flow yield of about 3.7% on today's price. Cash flow is what ultimately pays shareholders, so it is worth tracking over time.
Can the payout survive a bad year? Scored from filed cash flow, earnings coverage, and the raise/cut record.
The payout is comfortably covered by cash the business actually generates, with a raise habit behind it.
Dividend yield
1.2%
Per share (latest FY)
$6.00
Total paid (latest FY)
$2.81B
History on record
10 years
dividend uses 55% of free cash flow
41% of net income paid out
total dividends increased 9 years in a row
no cuts in the last 10 years on record
Coverage uses the latest fiscal year as filed with the SEC; the streak counts total dollars paid (per-share figures can carry split artifacts). Educational information, not income advice.
P/E
32.04x
P/S
7.05x
P/B
4.93x
EV / EBITDA
—
LIN trades at 32.0x trailing earnings (about 29.3x on estimated forward earnings), 7.1x sales, and 4.9x book value. Reverse-engineering today's price implies the market expects roughly 6.8% long-term free-cash-flow growth. That is a premium multiple that needs growth to justify it.
A two-stage discounted cash flow on real SEC-filed free cash flow — the intrinsic-value anchor professional analysts triangulate from.
DCF fair value / share
$199.40
Current price
$490.47
Starting FCF (latest 10-K)
$5.09B
Growth, years 1–5
5.0%
Fade to terminal, years 6–10
2.5%
Discount rate
9.0%
Cash flows grow at the stage-1 rate (trailing revenue growth, capped at 20%) for five years, fade to 2.5% by year 10, and continue at that rate forever (Gordon terminal value), all discounted at 9.0%. Small changes in assumptions move the result a lot — treat this as one reference point, not a target price. Educational only, not investment advice.
Where LIN sits versus its Materials sector peers in the S&P 500.
Bands show the middle half (25th–75th percentile) of the 54 Materials companies in the S&P 500 — the peer-relative anchor professional comps analysis uses. Context only — not investment advice.
How LIN stacks up against its Materials peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.
In the Materials sector (78 S&P 500 companies), LIN ranks #31 of 78 by our overall rating. It trades at a premium versus the sector on earnings (32x P/E vs. 22.7x median) with a higher return on equity (18.4% vs. 16.1%) and slower revenue growth (5.0% vs. 7.9%).
P/E vs sector
32x
median 22.7x
ROE vs sector
18.4%
median 16.1%
Growth vs sector
5.0%
median 7.9%
Sector rank
#31
of 78 by rating
Valuation vs. quality map
The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.
Peers are the closest Materials companies by sub-industry and size. Sector median is across all 78 S&P 500 names in the sector. Educational, not a recommendation.
Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.
2030 price target (Base Case)
$0.00 – $0.00
vs. $490.47 today · expected CAGR -8% – 2%
| Metric | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $35.69B | $37.47B | $39.34B | $41.31B | $43.38B |
| Net income | $7.14B | $7.49B | $7.87B | $8.26B | $8.68B |
| EPS | $13.84 | $14.53 | $15.26 | $16.02 | $16.83 |
| Share price (low) | $263.01 | $276.16 | $289.97 | $304.47 | $319.70 |
| Share price (high) | $442.97 | $465.12 | $488.38 | $512.79 | $538.43 |
| CAGR (low–high) | -46% / -10% | -25% / -3% | -16% / -0% | -11% / 1% | -8% / 2% |
Educational model on sample fundamentals — not a forecast or investment advice. Outputs are only as good as your assumptions.
The case for LIN:
- High net margins (20.4%) point to pricing power or efficiency.
- Strong return on equity (18.4%) shows capital is put to work well.
The case against LIN:
- Like any single stock, it is exposed to competition, the economic cycle, and shifts in its end markets.
Valuation risk — at 32.0x earnings, disappointing results could compress the multiple.
Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.
On balance, the picture is mixed: Linde plc is a mega-cap materials business growing at a mature pace, with solid profitability, and a heavier debt load to watch. It trades at 32.0x earnings, which our model scores Neutral (54/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.
Analyst Ratings
What 30 Wall Street analysts covering LIN recommend (August 2026). Consensus is a useful sanity check — not a substitute for your own homework.
Analysts have turned more cautious over the last three months (-7 pts of buy ratings).
Latest SEC Filings
LIN's most recent filings, straight from SEC EDGAR. Annual and quarterly reports are the deep dives; 8-Ks flag material events the moment they happen.
LIN — frequently asked questions
Is LIN a good stock to buy?
We don't give buy or sell advice. Our model rates Linde plc Neutral (54/100) based on its growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation — use that as a research starting point and make your own decision.
What is LIN's rating on The Stocks School?
Linde plc currently scores 54/100 (Neutral) on our transparent model, which weighs real fundamentals: growth, margins, returns on capital, balance-sheet strength, and valuation.
How our ratings work →Where does LIN's data come from?
Live price data plus real fundamentals and 5-year financials pulled directly from Linde plc's SEC filings — refreshed automatically, not hand-entered.
How is the 5-year projection for LIN calculated?
It's a scenario model: it grows revenue at an assumed rate, applies a profit margin and a valuation multiple, and shows the resulting share-price range. The assumptions are yours to change — it's a tool for thinking, not a prediction.
Is this LIN analysis financial advice?
No. Everything on this page is educational research, not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell LIN. Always do your own research and consider a licensed professional.
Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.
Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.