GFI vs. LIN: Gold Fields vs. Linde Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Gold Fields (GFI) 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

Gold Fields (GFI) and Linde (LIN) both fall under the Materials industry group, but GFI is classified in Metals & Mining while LIN is classified in Chemicals.

Linde (LIN) trades as ordinary local shares, while Gold Fields (GFI) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Gold Fields (GFI) and Linde (LIN)
Profile Item	GFI	LIN
Name	Gold Fields Ltd. Sponsored ADR	Linde plc
Country/Region	South Africa	United Kingdom
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Metals & Mining	Chemicals
GICS Sub-Industry	Gold	Industrial Gases
Market Capitalization	34.65 billion USD	236.54 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	June 17, 1992
Security Type	ADR	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GFI

LIN

GSPC

Gold Fields (GFI) 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 Gold Fields (GFI) and Linde (LIN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Gold Fields (GFI) and Linde (LIN)
Metric	GFI	LIN
Total Return (1Y)	9.54%	25.64%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	51.07%	11.48%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	38.08%	10.50%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GFI

LIN

GSPC

Gold Fields (GFI) 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 Gold Fields (GFI) and Linde (LIN). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Gold Fields (GFI) and Linde (LIN)
Metric	GFI	LIN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	60.41%	19.00%
Beta (5Y)	0.64	0.67
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-56.22%	-22.82%
Avg. Volume (3M)	3.78M	2.05M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

GFI 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 Gold Fields (GFI) and Linde (LIN)
Metric	GFI	LIN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.09	1.12
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.12	1.65

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Gold Fields (GFI) at 58.68% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Linde (LIN) at 17.72%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

GFI

Materials industry group

58.68%

GFI: 58.68%
Max: 52.88%
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%

Gold Fields (GFI) vs. Linde (LIN): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Gold Fields (GFI) at 38.66% and Linde (LIN) at 19.34% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

GFI

Materials industry group

38.66%

GFI: 38.66%
Max: 38.66%
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%

Gold Fields (GFI) vs. Linde (LIN): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Gold Fields (GFI) at 55.00% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Linde (LIN) at 27.97%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

GFI

Materials industry group

55.00%

Max: 66.70%
GFI: 55.00%
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%

Gold Fields (GFI) vs. Linde (LIN): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Gold Fields (GFI) and Linde (LIN)
Metric	GFI	LIN
ROE (TTM)	58.68%	17.72%
ROA (TTM)	28.52%	7.17%
Net Margin (TTM)	38.66%	19.34%
Operating Margin (TTM)	55.00%	27.97%
Gross Margin (TTM)	57.77%	47.86%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Gold Fields (GFI) at 68.24% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Linde (LIN) at 2.97% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for GFI.

Gold Fields (GFI) vs. Linde (LIN): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Gold Fields (GFI) at 185.51% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Linde (LIN) at 7.27% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for GFI.

Gold Fields (GFI) vs. Linde (LIN): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Gold Fields (GFI) and Linde (LIN)
Metric	GFI	LIN
Revenue Growth (YoY)	68.24%	2.97%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	26.86%	0.62%
EPS Growth (YoY)	185.51%	7.27%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	71.58%	21.08%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Gold Fields (GFI) at 1.87 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.

GFI

Materials industry group

1.87

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
GFI: 1.87
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

Gold Fields (GFI) vs. Linde (LIN): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Gold Fields (GFI) at 0.29 and Linde (LIN) at 0.65 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

GFI

Materials industry group

0.29

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
GFI: 0.29
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

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Gold Fields (GFI) and Linde (LIN)
Metric	GFI	LIN
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.87	0.86
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.29	0.65
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.06	1.65

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Linde (LIN) at 1.21% pays an industry-typical yield; Gold Fields (GFI) at 5.65% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

GFI

Materials industry group

5.65%

GFI: 5.65%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
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%

Gold Fields (GFI) vs. Linde (LIN): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Gold Fields (GFI) at 31.81% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Linde (LIN) at 41.83% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

GFI

Materials industry group

31.81%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
GFI: 31.81%
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%

Gold Fields (GFI) vs. Linde (LIN): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Gold Fields (GFI) and Linde (LIN)
Metric	GFI	LIN
Dividend Yield (TTM)	5.65%	1.21%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	31.81%	41.83%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Gold Fields (GFI) at 8.03 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.

GFI

Materials industry group

8.03

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
GFI: 8.03
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Gold Fields (GFI) at 3.05 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.

GFI

Materials industry group

3.05

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
GFI: 3.05
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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Linde (LIN) at 6.00 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Gold Fields (GFI) at 7.78 prices even higher, above its industry range.

GFI

Materials industry group

7.78

GFI: 7.78
Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Gold Fields (GFI) and Linde (LIN)
Metric	GFI	LIN
P/E Ratio (TTM)	8.03	34.21
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.05	6.53
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	7.78	6.00
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	12.05%	1.77%