LIN vs. PKX: Linde vs. POSCO Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Linde (LIN) and POSCO (PKX) 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 POSCO (PKX) both fall under the Materials industry group, but LIN is classified in Chemicals while PKX is classified in Metals & Mining.

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

Company profile comparison for Linde (LIN) and POSCO (PKX)
Profile Item	LIN	PKX
Name	Linde plc	POSCO Holdings Inc. American Depositary Receipt
Country/Region	United Kingdom	South Korea
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Industrial Gases	Steel
Market Capitalization	236.54 billion USD	14.79 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	June 17, 1992	October 14, 1994
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LIN

PKX

GSPC

Linde (LIN) vs. POSCO (PKX), 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 POSCO (PKX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Linde (LIN) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	LIN	PKX
Total Return (1Y)	25.64%	-4.84%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	11.48%	-15.65%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	10.50%	-1.81%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LIN

PKX

GSPC

Linde (LIN) vs. POSCO (PKX), 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 POSCO (PKX). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

POSCO (PKX) has an aggressive beta of 1.71, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Linde (LIN) is defensive at 0.67 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Linde (LIN) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	LIN	PKX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	19.00%	46.00%
Beta (5Y)	0.67	1.71
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-22.82%	-68.71%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.05M	216.95K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

LIN and PKX 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 POSCO (PKX)
Metric	LIN	PKX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.12	-0.20
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.65	-0.30

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Linde (LIN) at 17.72% and POSCO (PKX) at 2.21% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

LIN

Materials industry group

17.72%

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

PKX

Materials industry group

2.21%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
PKX: 2.21%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Linde (LIN) at 19.34% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of POSCO (PKX) at 1.89%, 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%

PKX

Materials industry group

1.89%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
PKX: 1.89%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Linde (LIN) at 27.97% and POSCO (PKX) at 4.26% 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%

PKX

Materials industry group

4.26%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
Median: 12.56%
PKX: 4.26%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Linde (LIN) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	LIN	PKX
ROE (TTM)	17.72%	2.21%
ROA (TTM)	7.17%	1.31%
Net Margin (TTM)	19.34%	1.89%
Operating Margin (TTM)	27.97%	4.26%
Gross Margin (TTM)	47.86%	7.87%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Linde (LIN) at 2.97% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while POSCO (PKX) at -6.09% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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

EPS Growth

Both Linde (LIN) at 7.27% and POSCO (PKX) at -29.00% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Linde (LIN) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	LIN	PKX
Revenue Growth (YoY)	2.97%	-6.09%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	0.62%	-6.72%
EPS Growth (YoY)	7.27%	-29.00%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	21.08%	-39.42%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

POSCO (PKX) at 1.98 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.

LIN

Materials industry group

0.86

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

PKX

Materials industry group

1.98

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
PKX: 1.98
Q1: 1.45
Min: 0.16

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Linde (LIN) at 0.65 and POSCO (PKX) at 0.50 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

LIN

Materials industry group

0.65

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

PKX

Materials industry group

0.50

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
PKX: 0.50
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Linde (LIN) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	LIN	PKX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.86	1.98
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.65	0.50
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.65	2.81

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Linde (LIN) at 1.21% pays an industry-typical yield; POSCO (PKX) at 18,518.52% 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.

LIN

Materials industry group

1.21%

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

PKX

Materials industry group

18,518.52%

PKX: 18,518.52%
Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Linde (LIN) at 41.83% and POSCO (PKX) at 51.60% 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%

PKX

Materials industry group

51.60%

Max: 83.62%
PKX: 51.60%
Q3: 41.37%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Linde (LIN) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	LIN	PKX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.21%	18,518.52%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	41.83%	51.60%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

POSCO (PKX) at 15.57 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

PKX

Materials industry group

15.57

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
PKX: 15.57
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

POSCO (PKX) at 0.00 looks cheap on sales in the lower P/S ratio quartile, while Linde (LIN) at 6.53 looks rich in the upper quartile — a clear gap in price per dollar of revenue.

LIN

Materials industry group

6.53

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

PKX

Materials industry group

0.00

Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
PKX: 0.00
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

POSCO (PKX) at 1.36 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.

LIN

Materials industry group

6.00

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

PKX

Materials industry group

1.36

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
PKX: 1.36
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Linde (LIN) and POSCO (PKX)
Metric	LIN	PKX
P/E Ratio (TTM)	34.21	15.57
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.53	0.00
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	6.00	1.36
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.77%	-23,410.34%