AU vs. LIN: A Head-to-Head Stock Comparison

Updated on July 7, 2025

Here’s a clear look at AU and LIN, comparing key factors like historical performance, profitability, financial strength, growth, dividend, and valuation.

Company Overview

LIN’s market capitalization of 223.87 billion USD is significantly greater than AU’s 23.52 billion USD, highlighting its more substantial market valuation.

LIN carries a higher beta at 0.98, indicating it’s more sensitive to market moves, while AU (beta: 0.49) exhibits greater stability.

Symbol	AU	LIN
Company Name	AngloGold Ashanti Plc	Linde plc
Country	GB	GB
Sector	Basic Materials	Basic Materials
Industry	Gold	Chemicals - Specialty
CEO	Alberto Calderon Zuleta BA Econ, Econ, Law, M Phil Econ,	Sanjiv Lamba
Price	46.71 USD	475.58 USD
Market Cap	23.52 billion USD	223.87 billion USD
Beta	0.49	0.98
Exchange	NYSE	NASDAQ
IPO Date	August 5, 1998	June 17, 1992
ADR	No	No

Historical Performance

This chart compares the performance of AU and LIN by tracking the growth of an initial $10,000 investment in each. Use the tabs to select the desired time period.

Data is adjusted for dividends and splits.

AU vs. LIN: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past one year.

Profitability

Return on Equity

AU

25.86%

Gold Industry

Max: 25.86%
Q3: 12.48%
Median: 8.15%
Q1: 2.34%
Min: -3.82%

In the upper quartile for the Gold industry, AU’s Return on Equity of 25.86% signals a highly effective use of shareholder capital to drive profitability compared to most of its peers.

LIN

17.23%

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 34.45%
Q3: 15.78%
Median: 7.65%
Q1: 2.96%
Min: -12.04%

In the upper quartile for the Chemicals - Specialty industry, LIN’s Return on Equity of 17.23% signals a highly effective use of shareholder capital to drive profitability compared to most of its peers.

AU vs. LIN: A comparison of their ROE against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Return on Invested Capital

AU

12.23%

Gold Industry

Max: 20.84%
Q3: 9.90%
Median: 5.11%
Q1: 1.36%
Min: -10.62%

In the upper quartile for the Gold industry, AU’s Return on Invested Capital of 12.23% signifies a highly effective use of its capital to generate profits when compared to its peers.

LIN

8.94%

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 20.22%
Q3: 10.99%
Median: 5.25%
Q1: 3.06%
Min: -8.62%

LIN’s Return on Invested Capital of 8.94% is in line with the norm for the Chemicals - Specialty industry, reflecting a standard level of efficiency in generating profits from its capital base.

AU vs. LIN: A comparison of their ROIC against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Net Profit Margin

AU

17.91%

Gold Industry

Max: 26.48%
Q3: 21.01%
Median: 16.48%
Q1: 8.22%
Min: -6.63%

AU’s Net Profit Margin of 17.91% is aligned with the median group of its peers in the Gold industry. This indicates its ability to convert revenue into profit is typical for the sector.

LIN

20.02%

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 23.23%
Q3: 10.64%
Median: 5.14%
Q1: 0.64%
Min: -8.93%

A Net Profit Margin of 20.02% places LIN in the upper quartile for the Chemicals - Specialty industry, signifying strong profitability and more effective cost management than most of its peers.

AU vs. LIN: A comparison of their Net Profit Margin against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Operating Profit Margin

AU

29.67%

Gold Industry

Max: 67.43%
Q3: 40.39%
Median: 30.64%
Q1: 19.83%
Min: -9.84%

AU’s Operating Profit Margin of 29.67% is around the midpoint for the Gold industry, indicating that its efficiency in managing core business operations is typical for the sector.

LIN

26.42%

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 26.42%
Q3: 15.81%
Median: 10.07%
Q1: 4.82%
Min: -7.44%

An Operating Profit Margin of 26.42% places LIN in the upper quartile for the Chemicals - Specialty industry. This signals a strong ability to translate revenue into operating profit, outperforming most of its competitors in core business efficiency.

AU vs. LIN: A comparison of their Operating Margin against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Profitability at a Glance

Symbol	AU	LIN
Return on Equity (TTM)	25.86%	17.23%
Return on Assets (TTM)	10.37%	7.99%
Return on Invested Capital (TTM)	12.23%	8.94%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	17.91%	20.02%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	29.67%	26.42%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	35.78%	42.45%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio

AU

2.34

Gold Industry

Max: 4.98
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.34
Q1: 1.51
Min: 0.52

AU’s Current Ratio of 2.34 aligns with the median group of the Gold industry, indicating that its short-term liquidity is in line with its sector peers.

LIN

0.94

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 3.95
Q3: 2.60
Median: 2.04
Q1: 1.60
Min: 0.77

LIN’s Current Ratio of 0.94 falls into the lower quartile for the Chemicals - Specialty industry. This indicates a tighter liquidity situation and a more constrained capacity to handle short-term debt than many of its competitors.

AU vs. LIN: A comparison of their Current Ratio against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Debt-to-Equity Ratio

AU

0.33

Gold Industry

Max: 0.67
Q3: 0.34
Median: 0.17
Q1: 0.06
Min: 0.00

AU’s Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 0.33 is typical for the Gold industry, indicating its use of leverage is in line with the sector norm. This suggests a balanced approach to its capital structure.

LIN

0.63

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 1.65
Q3: 1.10
Median: 0.73
Q1: 0.55
Min: 0.01

LIN’s Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 0.63 is typical for the Chemicals - Specialty industry, indicating its use of leverage is in line with the sector norm. This suggests a balanced approach to its capital structure.

AU vs. LIN: A comparison of their D/E Ratio against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Interest Coverage Ratio

AU

14.20

Gold Industry

Max: 45.23
Q3: 25.79
Median: 13.44
Q1: 2.91
Min: -6.26

AU’s Interest Coverage Ratio of 14.20 is positioned comfortably within the norm for the Gold industry, indicating a standard and healthy capacity to cover its interest payments.

LIN

34.75

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 13.69
Q3: 9.06
Median: 5.24
Q1: 1.68
Min: -3.09

With an Interest Coverage Ratio of 34.75, LIN demonstrates a superior capacity to service its debt, placing it well above the typical range for the Chemicals - Specialty industry. This stems from either robust earnings or a conservative debt load.

AU vs. LIN: A comparison of their Interest Coverage against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Financial Strength at a Glance

Symbol	AU	LIN
Current Ratio (TTM)	2.34	0.94
Quick Ratio (TTM)	1.57	0.80
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (TTM)	0.33	0.63
Debt-to-Asset Ratio (TTM)	0.17	0.29
Net Debt-to-EBITDA Ratio (TTM)	0.25	1.48
Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM)	14.20	34.75

Growth

The following charts compare key year-over-year (YoY) growth metrics for AU and LIN. These metrics are based on the companies’ annual financial reports.

Revenue Growth

AU vs. LIN: A comparison of their annual year-over-year Revenue Growth.

Earnings Per Share (EPS) Growth

AU vs. LIN: A comparison of their annual year-over-year Earnings Per Share (EPS) Growth.

Free Cash Flow Growth

AU vs. LIN: A comparison of their annual year-over-year Free Cash Flow Growth.

Dividend

Dividend Yield

AU

0.27%

Gold Industry

Max: 3.65%
Q3: 1.37%
Median: 0.47%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AU’s Dividend Yield of 0.27% is consistent with its peers in the Gold industry, providing a dividend return that is standard for its sector.

LIN

1.22%

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 9.19%
Q3: 2.44%
Median: 1.46%
Q1: 0.25%
Min: 0.00%

LIN’s Dividend Yield of 1.22% is consistent with its peers in the Chemicals - Specialty industry, providing a dividend return that is standard for its sector.

AU vs. LIN: A comparison of their Dividend Yield against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio

AU

45.43%

Gold Industry

Max: 110.70%
Q3: 42.09%
Median: 15.45%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

AU’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 45.43% is in the upper quartile for the Gold industry. This indicates a strong commitment to shareholder returns but also suggests that a smaller portion of earnings is retained for reinvestment compared to many peers.

LIN

40.75%

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 163.70%
Q3: 57.04%
Median: 30.02%
Q1: 12.51%
Min: 0.00%

LIN’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 40.75% is within the typical range for the Chemicals - Specialty industry, suggesting a balanced approach between shareholder payouts and company reinvestment.

AU vs. LIN: A comparison of their Payout Ratio against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Dividend at a Glance

Symbol	AU	LIN
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.27%	1.22%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	45.43%	40.75%

Valuation

Price-to-Earnings Ratio

AU

16.93

Gold Industry

Max: 64.00
Q3: 46.06
Median: 29.03
Q1: 16.74
Min: 1.00

AU’s P/E Ratio of 16.93 is within the middle range for the Gold industry. This suggests its valuation is in line with the sector average, representing neither a significant premium nor a discount compared to its peers.

LIN

34.05

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 56.68
Q3: 33.75
Median: 23.45
Q1: 16.09
Min: 7.50

A P/E Ratio of 34.05 places LIN in the upper quartile for the Chemicals - Specialty industry. This high valuation relative to peers suggests the market holds elevated expectations for the company’s future growth.

AU vs. LIN: A comparison of their P/E Ratio against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Forward P/E to Growth Ratio

AU

-0.86

Gold Industry

Max: 14.01
Q3: 6.52
Median: 3.33
Q1: 0.82
Min: 0.05

The Forward PEG Ratio is often not a primary valuation metric in the Gold industry.

LIN

4.93

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 6.58
Q3: 3.23
Median: 1.64
Q1: 0.96
Min: 0.16

A Forward PEG Ratio of 4.93 places LIN in the upper quartile for the Chemicals - Specialty industry. This suggests the stock is potentially expensive compared to its peers relative to its growth forecast, which may warrant caution.

AU vs. LIN: A comparison of their Forward PEG Ratio against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Price-to-Sales Ratio

AU

3.03

Gold Industry

Max: 15.12
Q3: 7.63
Median: 3.25
Q1: 2.30
Min: 0.79

AU’s P/S Ratio of 3.03 aligns with the market consensus for the Gold industry. This suggests its valuation, based on sales, is seen as standard and is on par with its competitors.

LIN

6.78

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 3.76
Q3: 2.31
Median: 1.38
Q1: 0.89
Min: 0.16

With a P/S Ratio of 6.78, LIN trades at a valuation that eclipses even the highest in the Chemicals - Specialty industry. This implies the market has priced in exceptionally optimistic scenarios for future revenue growth, posing considerable valuation risk.

AU vs. LIN: A comparison of their P/S Ratio against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Price-to-Book Ratio

AU

3.47

Gold Industry

Max: 6.10
Q3: 3.60
Median: 2.02
Q1: 1.35
Min: 0.26

AU’s P/B Ratio of 3.47 is within the conventional range for the Gold industry. This shows a balanced market view, where the stock’s price is neither at a significant premium nor a discount to the book value of its peers.

LIN

5.92

Chemicals - Specialty Industry

Max: 6.73
Q3: 3.78
Median: 1.56
Q1: 1.27
Min: 0.35

LIN’s P/B Ratio of 5.92 is in the upper tier for the Chemicals - Specialty industry. This indicates that investors are paying a premium relative to the company’s net assets, a valuation that hinges on its ability to generate superior profits.

AU vs. LIN: A comparison of their P/B Ratio against their respective Gold and Chemicals - Specialty industry benchmarks.

Valuation at a Glance

Symbol	AU	LIN
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (P/E, TTM)	16.93	34.05
Forward PEG Ratio (TTM)	-0.86	4.93
Price-to-Sales Ratio (P/S, TTM)	3.03	6.78
Price-to-Book Ratio (P/B, TTM)	3.47	5.92
Price-to-Free Cash Flow Ratio (P/FCF, TTM)	18.13	45.58
EV-to-EBITDA (TTM)	7.94	19.26
EV-to-Sales (TTM)	3.13	7.34