LIN vs. RIO: Linde vs. Rio Tinto Stock Comparison

June 23, 2026

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

Linde (LIN) trades as ordinary local shares, while Rio Tinto (RIO) 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 Rio Tinto (RIO)
Profile Item	LIN	RIO
Name	Linde plc	Rio Tinto Plc Sponsored ADR
Country/Region	United Kingdom	United Kingdom
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Industrial Gases	Diversified Metals & Mining
Market Capitalization	238.90 billion USD	161.58 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	June 17, 1992	June 28, 1990
Security Type	Common Stock	ADR

Performance

Cumulative Growth

LIN

RIO

Linde (LIN) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): 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 Rio Tinto (RIO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Performance at a Glance

Performance metrics for Linde (LIN) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	LIN	RIO
Total Return (1Y)	14.87%	87.18%

Risk

Drawdown

LIN

RIO

Linde (LIN) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Risk at a Glance

Risk metrics for Linde (LIN) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	LIN	RIO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	17.25%	29.48%
Beta (5Y)	0.71	0.58
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.25M	2.65M

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Linde (LIN) at 18.23% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Rio Tinto (RIO) at 16.40% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for LIN.

LIN

Materials industry group

18.23%

Max: 51.93%
LIN: 18.23%
Q3: 17.55%
Median: 5.92%
Q1: -11.20%
Min: -52.04%

RIO

Materials industry group

16.40%

Max: 51.93%
Q3: 17.55%
RIO: 16.40%
Median: 5.92%
Q1: -11.20%
Min: -52.04%

Linde (LIN) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Linde (LIN) at 20.44% and Rio Tinto (RIO) at 17.29% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

LIN

Materials industry group

20.44%

Max: 35.99%
LIN: 20.44%
Q3: 14.87%
Median: 3.80%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -21.87%

RIO

Materials industry group

17.29%

Max: 35.99%
RIO: 17.29%
Q3: 14.87%
Median: 3.80%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -21.87%

Linde (LIN) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Linde (LIN) at 28.47% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Rio Tinto (RIO) at 25.32%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

LIN

Materials industry group

28.47%

Max: 66.92%
LIN: 28.47%
Q3: 27.27%
Median: 9.63%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -32.85%

RIO

Materials industry group

25.32%

Max: 66.92%
Q3: 27.27%
RIO: 25.32%
Median: 9.63%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -32.85%

Linde (LIN) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability at a Glance

Profitability metrics for Linde (LIN) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	LIN	RIO
ROE (TTM)	18.23%	16.40%
ROA (TTM)	7.24%	7.86%
Net Margin (TTM)	20.44%	17.29%
Operating Margin (TTM)	28.47%	25.32%
Gross Margin (TTM)	48.77%	28.12%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Linde (LIN) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

Revenue Growth at a Glance

Revenue growth metrics for Linde (LIN) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	LIN	RIO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	2.97%	7.42%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	0.62%	1.24%

EPS Growth

Linde (LIN) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth at a Glance

EPS growth metrics for Linde (LIN) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	LIN	RIO
EPS Growth (YoY)	7.27%	-13.97%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	21.08%	-7.23%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Rio Tinto (RIO) at 1.45 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Linde (LIN) at 0.83 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for LIN.

LIN

Materials industry group

0.83

Max: 6.31
Q3: 3.54
Median: 2.28
Q1: 1.43
LIN: 0.83
Min: 0.12

RIO

Materials industry group

1.45

Max: 6.31
Q3: 3.54
Median: 2.28
RIO: 1.45
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.12

Linde (LIN) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Linde (LIN) at 0.66 and Rio Tinto (RIO) at 0.35 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

LIN

Materials industry group

0.66

Max: 2.02
Q3: 0.92
LIN: 0.66
Median: 0.44
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

RIO

Materials industry group

0.35

Max: 2.02
Q3: 0.92
Median: 0.44
RIO: 0.35
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength at a Glance

Financial strength metrics for Linde (LIN) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	LIN	RIO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.83	1.45
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.66	0.35
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.65	0.71

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Rio Tinto (RIO) at 4.02% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Linde (LIN) at 1.19% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, RIO the richer one.

LIN

Materials industry group

1.19%

Max: 4.61%
Q3: 1.85%
LIN: 1.19%
Median: 0.45%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

RIO

Materials industry group

4.02%

Max: 4.61%
RIO: 4.02%
Q3: 1.85%
Median: 0.45%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Linde (LIN) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Linde (LIN) at 40.45% and Rio Tinto (RIO) at 61.31% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

LIN

Materials industry group

40.45%

Max: 90.00%
LIN: 40.45%
Q3: 38.50%
Median: 8.90%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

RIO

Materials industry group

61.31%

Max: 90.00%
RIO: 61.31%
Q3: 38.50%
Median: 8.90%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Linde (LIN) vs. Rio Tinto (RIO): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividends at a Glance

Dividend metrics for Linde (LIN) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	LIN	RIO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.19%	4.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	40.45%	61.31%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Rio Tinto (RIO) at 16.34 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Linde (LIN) at 34.24 sits in the richer quartile — LIN needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

LIN

Materials industry group

34.24

Max: 61.74
LIN: 34.24
Q3: 33.85
Median: 21.67
Q1: 14.86
Min: 4.56

RIO

Materials industry group

16.34

Max: 61.74
Q3: 33.85
Median: 21.67
RIO: 16.34
Q1: 14.86
Min: 4.56

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Rio Tinto (RIO) at 2.80 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Linde (LIN) at 6.89 sits in the pricier quartile — LIN costs more per dollar of sales.

LIN

Materials industry group

6.89

Max: 9.97
LIN: 6.89
Q3: 4.77
Median: 2.01
Q1: 0.77
Min: 0.00

RIO

Materials industry group

2.80

Max: 9.97
Q3: 4.77
RIO: 2.80
Median: 2.01
Q1: 0.77
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Rio Tinto (RIO) at 2.60 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Linde (LIN) at 6.20 carries an above-peer premium to book — LIN is pricier on assets.

LIN

Materials industry group

6.20

Max: 8.46
LIN: 6.20
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.53
Q1: 1.43
Min: -0.38

RIO

Materials industry group

2.60

Max: 8.46
Q3: 4.32
RIO: 2.60
Median: 2.53
Q1: 1.43
Min: -0.38

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

Valuation at a Glance

Valuation metrics for Linde (LIN) and Rio Tinto (RIO)
Metric	LIN	RIO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	34.24	16.34
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.89	2.80
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	6.20	2.60
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.97%	2.16%