LIN vs. WPM: Linde vs. Wheaton Precious Metals Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Company profile comparison for Linde (LIN) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Profile Item	LIN	WPM
Name	Linde plc	Wheaton Precious Metals Corp.
Country/Region	United Kingdom	Canada
GICS Sector	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry Group	Materials	Materials
GICS Industry	Chemicals	Metals & Mining
GICS Sub-Industry	Industrial Gases	Gold
Market Capitalization	236.54 billion USD	61.91 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	June 17, 1992	July 6, 2005
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LIN

WPM

GSPC

Linde (LIN) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM), 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 Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Linde (LIN) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Linde (LIN) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	LIN	WPM
Total Return (1Y)	25.64%	45.35%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	11.48%	50.60%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	10.50%	29.06%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LIN

WPM

GSPC

Linde (LIN) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM), 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 Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Linde (LIN) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	LIN	WPM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	19.00%	52.11%
Beta (5Y)	0.67	0.49
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-22.82%	-43.29%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.05M	2.01M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

LIN and WPM 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 Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	LIN	WPM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.12	0.79
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.65	1.14

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 23.10% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Linde (LIN) at 17.72% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for WPM.

LIN

Materials industry group

17.72%

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

WPM

Materials industry group

23.10%

Max: 52.88%
WPM: 23.10%
Q3: 19.49%
Median: 8.76%
Q1: -3.41%
Min: -32.81%

Linde (LIN) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their ROE against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 60.39% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Linde (LIN) at 19.34% also retains a top-quartile 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%

WPM

Materials industry group

60.39%

WPM: 60.39%
Max: 38.66%
Q3: 15.98%
Median: 5.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -20.40%

Linde (LIN) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their net margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 66.70% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Linde (LIN) at 27.97%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

LIN

Materials industry group

27.97%

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

WPM

Materials industry group

66.70%

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

Linde (LIN) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Linde (LIN) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	LIN	WPM
ROE (TTM)	17.72%	23.10%
ROA (TTM)	7.17%	15.22%
Net Margin (TTM)	19.34%	60.39%
Operating Margin (TTM)	27.97%	66.70%
Gross Margin (TTM)	47.86%	86.61%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 80.18% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Linde (LIN) at 2.97% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for WPM.

Linde (LIN) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 177.85% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Linde (LIN) at 7.27% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for WPM.

Linde (LIN) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Linde (LIN) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	LIN	WPM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	2.97%	80.18%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	0.62%	29.53%
EPS Growth (YoY)	7.27%	177.85%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	21.08%	29.83%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Linde (LIN) at 0.86 and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 0.57 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

WPM

Materials industry group

0.57

Max: 5.96
Q3: 3.30
Median: 2.24
Q1: 1.45
WPM: 0.57
Min: 0.16

Linde (LIN) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their current ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Linde (LIN) at 0.65 and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 0.16 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

WPM

Materials industry group

0.16

Max: 1.98
Q3: 0.89
Median: 0.47
WPM: 0.16
Q1: 0.13
Min: 0.00

Linde (LIN) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Linde (LIN) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	LIN	WPM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.86	0.57
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.65	0.16
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.65	0.50

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Linde (LIN) at 1.21% and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 0.57% 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%

WPM

Materials industry group

0.57%

Max: 4.52%
Q3: 1.85%
WPM: 0.57%
Median: 0.38%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Linde (LIN) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 16.29% 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%

WPM

Materials industry group

16.29%

Max: 83.62%
Q3: 41.37%
WPM: 16.29%
Median: 9.54%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Linde (LIN) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Linde (LIN) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	LIN	WPM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.21%	0.57%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	41.83%	16.29%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 29.63 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

WPM

Materials industry group

29.63

Max: 59.00
Q3: 32.93
WPM: 29.63
Median: 18.82
Q1: 11.96
Min: 3.93

Linde (LIN) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Linde (LIN) at 6.53 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 17.86 prices even higher, above its industry range.

LIN

Materials industry group

6.53

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

WPM

Materials industry group

17.86

WPM: 17.86
Max: 9.62
Q3: 4.34
Median: 1.87
Q1: 0.73
Min: 0.00

Linde (LIN) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Linde (LIN) at 6.00 and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) at 6.17 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

WPM

Materials industry group

6.17

Max: 6.59
WPM: 6.17
Q3: 3.55
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.26
Min: -0.17

Linde (LIN) vs. Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Materials industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Linde (LIN) and Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM)
Metric	LIN	WPM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	34.21	29.63
P/S Ratio (TTM)	6.53	17.86
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	6.00	6.17
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.77%	-5.11%