CF vs. LIN: CF Industries vs. Linde Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do CF Industries (CF) and Linde (LIN) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

CF Industries (CF) and Linde (LIN) both belong to the Chemicals industry, though CF is classified under Fertilizers & Agricultural Chemicals while LIN falls under Industrial Gases.

Company profile comparison for CF Industries (CF) and Linde (LIN)
Profile Item	CF	LIN
Name	CF Industries Holdings, Inc.	Linde plc
Country/Region	United States	United Kingdom
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Chemicals
GICS Sub-Industry	Fertilizers & Agricultural Chemicals	Industrial Gases
Market Capitalization	17.46 billion USD	236.54 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	August 11, 2005	June 17, 1992
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LIN

GSPC

CF Industries (CF) vs. Linde (LIN), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for CF Industries (CF) and Linde (LIN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for CF Industries (CF) and Linde (LIN). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Linde (LIN)
Metric	CF	LIN
Total Return (1Y)	49.36%	25.64%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	17.00%	11.48%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	16.09%	10.50%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LIN

GSPC

CF Industries (CF) vs. Linde (LIN), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for CF Industries (CF) and Linde (LIN). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Linde (LIN)
Metric	CF	LIN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	43.66%	19.00%
Beta (5Y)	0.56	0.67
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-48.36%	-22.82%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.49M	2.05M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

CF and LIN are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Linde (LIN)
Metric	CF	LIN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.03	1.12
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.59	1.65

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

CF Industries (CF) at 30.86% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Linde (LIN) at 17.72% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for CF.

CF

Materials industry group

30.86%

Max: 52.88%
CF: 30.86%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

LIN

Materials industry group

17.72%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
LIN: 17.72%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

CF Industries (CF) vs. Linde (LIN): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both CF Industries (CF) at 27.48% and Linde (LIN) at 19.34% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

CF

Materials industry group

27.48%

Max: 38.66%
CF: 27.48%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

LIN

Materials industry group

19.34%

Max: 38.66%
LIN: 19.34%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

CF Industries (CF) vs. Linde (LIN): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

CF Industries (CF) at 34.36% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Linde (LIN) at 27.97%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

CF

Materials industry group

34.36%

Max: 66.70%
CF: 34.36%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

LIN

Materials industry group

27.97%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
LIN: 27.97%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

CF Industries (CF) vs. Linde (LIN): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Linde (LIN)
Metric	CF	LIN
ROE (TTM)	30.86%	17.72%
ROA (TTM)	12.61%	7.17%
Net Margin (TTM)	27.48%	19.34%
Operating Margin (TTM)	34.36%	27.97%
Gross Margin (TTM)	42.52%	47.86%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both CF Industries (CF) at 19.34% and Linde (LIN) at 2.97% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

CF Industries (CF) vs. Linde (LIN): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both CF Industries (CF) at 33.09% and Linde (LIN) at 7.27% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

CF Industries (CF) vs. Linde (LIN): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Linde (LIN)
Metric	CF	LIN
Revenue Growth (YoY)	19.34%	2.97%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-14.12%	0.62%
EPS Growth (YoY)	33.09%	7.27%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-18.19%	21.08%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

CF Industries (CF) at 2.98 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Linde (LIN) at 0.86 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for LIN.

CF

Materials industry group

2.98

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
CF: 2.98
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

LIN

Materials industry group

0.86

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
LIN: 0.86
Min: 0.16

CF Industries (CF) vs. Linde (LIN): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both CF Industries (CF) at 0.41 and Linde (LIN) at 0.65 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

CF

Materials industry group

0.41

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
CF: 0.41
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

LIN

Materials industry group

0.65

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
LIN: 0.65
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

CF Industries (CF) vs. Linde (LIN): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Linde (LIN)
Metric	CF	LIN
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.98	0.86
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.41	0.65
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.21	1.65

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both CF Industries (CF) at 1.77% and Linde (LIN) at 1.21% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

CF

Materials industry group

1.77%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
CF: 1.77%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

LIN

Materials industry group

1.21%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
LIN: 1.21%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CF Industries (CF) vs. Linde (LIN): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

CF Industries (CF) at 14.81% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Linde (LIN) at 41.83% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

CF

Materials industry group

14.81%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
CF: 14.81%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

LIN

Materials industry group

41.83%

Max: 83.62%
LIN: 41.83%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CF Industries (CF) vs. Linde (LIN): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Linde (LIN)
Metric	CF	LIN
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.77%	1.21%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	14.81%	41.83%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

CF Industries (CF) at 8.42 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Linde (LIN) at 34.21 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

CF

Materials industry group

8.42

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
CF: 8.42
Min: 3.93

LIN

Materials industry group

34.21

Max: 59.00
LIN: 34.21
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

CF Industries (CF) vs. Linde (LIN): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

CF Industries (CF) at 2.20 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Linde (LIN) at 6.53 sits in the pricier quartile — LIN costs more per dollar of sales.

CF

Materials industry group

2.20

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
CF: 2.20
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

LIN

Materials industry group

6.53

Max: 9.62
LIN: 6.53
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

CF Industries (CF) vs. Linde (LIN): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

CF Industries (CF) at 3.10 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Linde (LIN) at 6.00 carries an above-peer premium to book — LIN is pricier on assets.

CF

Materials industry group

3.10

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
CF: 3.10
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

LIN

Materials industry group

6.00

Max: 6.59
LIN: 6.00
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

CF Industries (CF) vs. Linde (LIN): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for CF Industries (CF) and Linde (LIN)
Metric	CF	LIN
P/E Ratio (TTM)	8.42	34.21
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.20	6.53
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.10	6.00
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	9.10%	1.77%