LIN vs. VMC: Linde vs. Vulcan Materials Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Linde (LIN) and Vulcan Materials (VMC) 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 Vulcan Materials (VMC) both fall under the Materials industry group, but LIN is classified in Chemicals while VMC is classified in Construction Materials.

Company profile comparison for Linde (LIN) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Profile Item	LIN	VMC
Name	Linde plc	Vulcan Materials Company
Country/Region	United Kingdom	United States
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Construction Materials
GICS Sub-Industry	Industrial Gases	Construction Materials
Market Capitalization	236.54 billion USD	36.29 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	June 17, 1992	February 21, 1973
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LIN

VMC

GSPC

Linde (LIN) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC), 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 Vulcan Materials (VMC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Linde (LIN) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	LIN	VMC
Total Return (1Y)	25.64%	2.25%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	11.48%	12.53%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	10.50%	8.08%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LIN

VMC

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Linde (LIN) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	LIN	VMC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	19.00%	30.13%
Beta (5Y)	0.67	0.98
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-22.82%	-32.50%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.05M	1.16M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

LIN and VMC 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 Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	LIN	VMC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.12	-0.07
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.65	-0.09

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Linde (LIN) at 17.72% and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 12.88% 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%

VMC

Materials industry group

12.88%

Max: 52.88%
Q3: 19.49%
VMC: 12.88%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

Linde (LIN) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): 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 Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 13.78%, 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%

VMC

Materials industry group

13.78%

Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
VMC: 13.78%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Linde (LIN) at 27.97% and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 23.95% 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%

VMC

Materials industry group

23.95%

Max: 66.70%
Q3: 28.92%
VMC: 23.95%
Median: 12.56%
Q1: 3.28%
Min: -14.07%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Linde (LIN) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	LIN	VMC
ROE (TTM)	17.72%	12.88%
ROA (TTM)	7.17%	5.89%
Net Margin (TTM)	19.34%	13.78%
Operating Margin (TTM)	27.97%	23.95%
Gross Margin (TTM)	47.86%	27.48%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Linde (LIN) at 2.97% and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 7.06% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Linde (LIN) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Linde (LIN) at 7.27% and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 18.39% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Linde (LIN) vs. Vulcan Materials (VMC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Linde (LIN) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	LIN	VMC
Revenue Growth (YoY)	2.97%	7.06%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	0.62%	2.77%
EPS Growth (YoY)	7.27%	18.39%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	21.08%	23.46%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Linde (LIN) at 0.86 and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 1.43 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

LIN

Materials industry group

0.86

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

VMC

Materials industry group

1.43

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
VMC: 1.43
Min: 0.16

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Linde (LIN) at 0.65 and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 0.63 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

VMC

Materials industry group

0.63

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
VMC: 0.63
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Linde (LIN) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	LIN	VMC
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.86	1.43
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.65	0.63
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.65	2.27

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Linde (LIN) at 1.21% and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 0.72% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

LIN

Materials industry group

1.21%

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

VMC

Materials industry group

0.72%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
VMC: 0.72%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 24.26% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Linde (LIN) at 41.83% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

LIN

Materials industry group

41.83%

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

VMC

Materials industry group

24.26%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
VMC: 24.26%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Linde (LIN) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	LIN	VMC
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.21%	0.72%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	41.83%	24.26%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Linde (LIN) at 34.21 and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 33.46 sit in the richer earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, so investors are paying more for TTM earnings than they pay for typical peers.

LIN

Materials industry group

34.21

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

VMC

Materials industry group

33.46

Max: 59.00
VMC: 33.46
Q3: 32.93
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both Linde (LIN) at 6.53 and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 4.53 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

6.53

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

VMC

Materials industry group

4.53

Max: 9.62
VMC: 4.53
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Linde (LIN) at 6.00 and Vulcan Materials (VMC) at 4.31 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

VMC

Materials industry group

4.31

Max: 6.59
VMC: 4.31
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Linde (LIN) and Vulcan Materials (VMC)
Metric	LIN	VMC
P/E Ratio (TTM)	34.21	33.46
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.53	4.53
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	6.00	4.31
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.77%	1.96%