LIN vs. SCCO: Linde vs. Southern Copper Stock Comparison

August 16, 2026

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

Company profile comparison for Linde (LIN) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Profile Item	LIN	SCCO
Name	Linde plc	Southern Copper Corporation
Country/Region	United Kingdom	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Industrial Gases	Copper
Market Capitalization	222.53 billion USD	155.87 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	June 17, 1992	January 5, 1996
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LIN

SCCO

GSPC

Linde (LIN) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO), 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 Southern Copper (SCCO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Linde (LIN) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	LIN	SCCO
Total Return (1Y)	2.43%	100.87%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	9.49%	37.08%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	10.80%	28.59%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LIN

SCCO

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Linde (LIN) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	LIN	SCCO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	18.99%	51.27%
Beta (5Y)	0.71	1.12
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-22.82%	-43.10%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.30M	1.25M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

LIN and SCCO 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 Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	LIN	SCCO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.08	1.89
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.11	2.86

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Southern Copper (SCCO) at 49.90% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Linde (LIN) at 18.40% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for SCCO.

LIN

Materials industry group

18.40%

Max: 53.09%
Q3: 19.30%
LIN: 18.40%
Median: 7.11%
Q1: -7.26%
Min: -41.32%

SCCO

Materials industry group

49.90%

Max: 53.09%
SCCO: 49.90%
Q3: 19.30%
Median: 7.11%
Q1: -7.26%
Min: -41.32%

Linde (LIN) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): 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 Southern Copper (SCCO) at 35.87% 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: 38.18%
LIN: 20.44%
Q3: 15.38%
Median: 4.37%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -22.98%

SCCO

Materials industry group

35.87%

Max: 38.18%
SCCO: 35.87%
Q3: 15.38%
Median: 4.37%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -22.98%

Linde (LIN) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Southern Copper (SCCO) at 61.16% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Linde (LIN) at 28.12%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

LIN

Materials industry group

28.12%

Max: 66.54%
Q3: 28.14%
LIN: 28.12%
Median: 11.83%
Q1: 1.74%
Min: -29.20%

SCCO

Materials industry group

61.16%

Max: 66.54%
SCCO: 61.16%
Q3: 28.14%
Median: 11.83%
Q1: 1.74%
Min: -29.20%

Linde (LIN) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Linde (LIN) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	LIN	SCCO
ROE (TTM)	18.40%	49.90%
ROA (TTM)	7.16%	25.71%
Net Margin (TTM)	20.44%	35.87%
Operating Margin (TTM)	28.12%	61.16%
Gross Margin (TTM)	48.35%	64.50%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Linde (LIN) at 2.97% and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 17.38% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Linde (LIN) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Linde (LIN) at 7.27% and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 25.41% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Linde (LIN) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Linde (LIN) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	LIN	SCCO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	2.97%	17.38%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	0.62%	10.13%
EPS Growth (YoY)	7.27%	25.41%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	21.08%	17.64%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Southern Copper (SCCO) at 5.06 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Linde (LIN) at 0.88 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

LIN

Materials industry group

0.88

Max: 5.85
Q3: 3.37
Median: 2.20
Q1: 1.46
LIN: 0.88
Min: 0.12

SCCO

Materials industry group

5.06

Max: 5.85
SCCO: 5.06
Q3: 3.37
Median: 2.20
Q1: 1.46
Min: 0.12

Linde (LIN) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Linde (LIN) at 0.69 and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 0.68 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

LIN

Materials industry group

0.69

Max: 2.03
Q3: 0.94
LIN: 0.69
Median: 0.46
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

SCCO

Materials industry group

0.68

Max: 2.03
Q3: 0.94
SCCO: 0.68
Median: 0.46
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Linde (LIN) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	LIN	SCCO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.88	5.06
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.69	0.68
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.67	0.13

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Southern Copper (SCCO) at 1.88% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Linde (LIN) at 1.30% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, SCCO the richer one.

LIN

Materials industry group

1.30%

Max: 4.28%
Q3: 1.72%
LIN: 1.30%
Median: 0.40%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

SCCO

Materials industry group

1.88%

Max: 4.28%
SCCO: 1.88%
Q3: 1.72%
Median: 0.40%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Linde (LIN) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Linde (LIN) at 40.00% and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 54.16% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

LIN

Materials industry group

40.00%

Max: 89.26%
LIN: 40.00%
Q3: 36.00%
Median: 7.61%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

SCCO

Materials industry group

54.16%

Max: 89.26%
SCCO: 54.16%
Q3: 36.00%
Median: 7.61%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Linde (LIN) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Linde (LIN) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	LIN	SCCO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.30%	1.88%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	40.00%	54.16%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Linde (LIN) at 31.14 and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 27.72 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

LIN

Materials industry group

31.14

Max: 53.30
Q3: 33.40
LIN: 31.14
Median: 21.93
Q1: 14.64
Min: 4.58

SCCO

Materials industry group

27.72

Max: 53.30
Q3: 33.40
SCCO: 27.72
Median: 21.93
Q1: 14.64
Min: 4.58

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Linde (LIN) at 6.28 and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 9.87 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

LIN

Materials industry group

6.28

Max: 10.44
LIN: 6.28
Q3: 4.70
Median: 2.06
Q1: 0.76
Min: 0.00

SCCO

Materials industry group

9.87

Max: 10.44
SCCO: 9.87
Q3: 4.70
Median: 2.06
Q1: 0.76
Min: 0.00

Linde (LIN) vs. Southern Copper (SCCO): 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 5.69 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Southern Copper (SCCO) at 12.57 prices even higher, above its industry range.

LIN

Materials industry group

5.69

Max: 8.54
LIN: 5.69
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.51
Q1: 1.49
Min: -0.26

SCCO

Materials industry group

12.57

SCCO: 12.57
Max: 8.54
Q3: 4.32
Median: 2.51
Q1: 1.49
Min: -0.26

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Linde (LIN) and Southern Copper (SCCO)
Metric	LIN	SCCO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	31.14	27.72
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.28	9.87
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.69	12.57
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.87%	3.21%