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LIN vs. PKG: Linde vs. Packaging Corp of America Stock Comparison

How do Linde (LIN) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG) 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

Linde (LIN) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG) both fall under the Materials industry group, but LIN is classified in Chemicals while PKG is classified in Containers & Packaging.

Company profile comparison for Linde (LIN) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG)
Profile ItemLINPKG
NameLinde plcPackaging Corporation of America
Country/RegionUnited KingdomUnited States
GICS SectorMaterialsMaterials
GICS Industry GroupMaterialsMaterials
GICS IndustryChemicalsContainers & Packaging
GICS Sub-IndustryIndustrial GasesPaper & Plastic Packaging Products & Materials
Market Capitalization236.54 billion USD22.25 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateJune 17, 1992January 28, 2000
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LIN
PKG
GSPC
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Linde (LIN) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG), 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 Linde (LIN) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Linde (LIN) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Linde (LIN) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG)
MetricLINPKG
Total Return (1Y)25.64%31.07%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)11.48%21.13%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)10.50%17.23%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LIN
PKG
GSPC
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Linde (LIN) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG), 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 Linde (LIN) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Linde (LIN) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG)
MetricLINPKG
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)19.00%28.35%
Beta (5Y)0.670.76
Max Drawdown (5Y)-22.82%-31.78%
Avg. Volume (3M)2.05M624.28K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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LIN and PKG 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 Linde (LIN) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG)
MetricLINPKG
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.120.95
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.651.49

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Linde (LIN) earns 17.72% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Packaging Corp of America (PKG) has no ROE this period.

LIN

Materials industry group

17.72%

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

PKG

Materials industry group

--

Max
52.88%
Q3
19.49%
Median
8.76%
Q1
-3.41%
Min
-32.81%
PKG
--
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Linde (LIN) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): PKG does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; LIN is benchmarked against the Materials industry group.

Net Margin (TTM)

Linde (LIN) at 19.34% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 7.40%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

LIN

Materials industry group

19.34%

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

PKG

Materials industry group

7.40%

Max
38.66%
Q3
15.98%
PKG
7.40%
Median
5.28%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-20.40%
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Linde (LIN) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Linde (LIN) at 27.97% and Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 14.97% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

LIN

Materials industry group

27.97%

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

PKG

Materials industry group

14.97%

Max
66.70%
Q3
28.92%
PKG
14.97%
Median
12.56%
Q1
3.28%
Min
-14.07%
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Linde (LIN) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Linde (LIN) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG)
MetricLINPKG
ROE (TTM)17.72%--
ROA (TTM)7.17%--
Net Margin (TTM)19.34%7.40%
Operating Margin (TTM)27.97%14.97%
Gross Margin (TTM)47.86%21.24%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Linde (LIN) at 2.97% and Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 7.23% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Linde (LIN) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Linde (LIN) at 7.27% and Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at -3.92% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Linde (LIN) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Linde (LIN) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG)
MetricLINPKG
Revenue Growth (YoY)2.97%7.23%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)0.62%1.97%
EPS Growth (YoY)7.27%-3.92%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)21.08%-8.03%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Short-term liquidity can only be read on one side of this pairing: Linde (LIN) shows current ratio of 0.86 against its industry benchmark, while Packaging Corp of America (PKG) has no reading this period.

LIN

Materials industry group

0.86

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

PKG

Materials industry group

--

Max
5.96
Q3
3.30
Median
2.24
Q1
1.45
Min
0.16
PKG
--
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Linde (LIN) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): PKG does not report current ratio, so it has no value marker; LIN is benchmarked against the Materials industry group.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Linde (LIN) at 0.65 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 0.94 uses more debt funding than most peers.

LIN

Materials industry group

0.65

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

PKG

Materials industry group

0.94

Max
1.98
PKG
0.94
Q3
0.89
Median
0.47
Q1
0.13
Min
0.00
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Linde (LIN) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Linde (LIN) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG)
MetricLINPKG
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.86--
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.650.94
Net Debt / EBITDA1.651.92

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 2.21% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Linde (LIN) at 1.21% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, PKG the richer one.

LIN

Materials industry group

1.21%

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

PKG

Materials industry group

2.21%

Max
4.52%
PKG
2.21%
Q3
1.85%
Median
0.38%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Linde (LIN) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Linde (LIN) at 41.83% and Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 67.82% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

LIN

Materials industry group

41.83%

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

PKG

Materials industry group

67.82%

Max
83.62%
PKG
67.82%
Q3
41.37%
Median
9.54%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Linde (LIN) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Linde (LIN) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG)
MetricLINPKG
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.21%2.21%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)41.83%67.82%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 30.79 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Linde (LIN) at 34.21 sits in the richer quartile — LIN needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

LIN

Materials industry group

34.21

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

PKG

Materials industry group

30.79

Max
59.00
Q3
32.93
PKG
30.79
Median
18.82
Q1
11.96
Min
3.93
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Linde (LIN) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 2.26 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.

LIN

Materials industry group

6.53

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

PKG

Materials industry group

2.26

Max
9.62
Q3
4.34
PKG
2.26
Median
1.87
Q1
0.73
Min
0.00
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Linde (LIN) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Linde (LIN) at 6.00 and Packaging Corp of America (PKG) at 4.74 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

LIN

Materials industry group

6.00

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

PKG

Materials industry group

4.74

Max
6.59
PKG
4.74
Q3
3.55
Median
2.08
Q1
1.26
Min
-0.17
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Linde (LIN) vs. Packaging Corp of America (PKG): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Linde (LIN) and Packaging Corp of America (PKG)
MetricLINPKG
P/E Ratio (TTM)34.2130.79
P/S Ratio (TTM)6.532.26
P/B Ratio (MRQ)6.004.74
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)1.77%--