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Linde plc
Rule-based classification of fundamentals against the sector. Not a price forecast and not investment advice.
Signals scattered
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3 of 5 met · composite in line with peers
Business quality, valuation against the sector, and position in the 52-week range — whether they line up or not.
Mixed signals
1 signal unavailable
Profitability
3/4
Debt & liquidity
1/3
Efficiency
0/2
Capital returns at Linde plc run well ahead of the sector: ROIC reaches 12.9%, +27% above the sector median of 10.2%, and operating margin sits at 26.3% against a sector median of 18.7%. The P/E of 31.8× is only -6% below the sector median of 33.7× — a narrow discount for a business generating those returns — while P/B of 6.0× runs +58% above the median of 3.8×, reflecting the market's willingness to pay for the quality. Balance-sheet health is the clearest drag: the current ratio of 0.88 falls -62% below the sector median of 2.29, and the F-Score of 4/9 flags weak efficiency signals alongside the otherwise solid profitability. The forward picture is mixed: the realized three-year EPS CAGR per SEC filings is strong, yet the beat rate over the last eight quarters has been weak and the forward PEG reads as stretched, so the market's growth assumptions carry meaningful uncertainty.
| Ticker | Name | F-Score | ROE | Revenue YoY | Op. margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APD | Air Products | 5/9 | -2% |
The market prices in earnings growth; analyst sentiment is weakening; has not always beaten consensus.
Price against next year's expected earnings. The forward P/E already carries analyst optimism — read it alongside the “Versus consensus” line.
A forward P/E below the current one means the market expects earnings to grow; above it, to fall. The historical growth is realized figures from SEC filings, not a forecast.
The three-month change in the share of positive analyst ratings. This is sentiment, not an earnings-estimate revision, and not a call to act.
When Linde reports on October 29, 2026, track operating margin against the current 18.7% and whether ROIC holds above the sector median of 10.2%. The F-Score's efficiency signals (0/2) suggest revenue and asset-turnover trends deserve close attention.
Linde's P/B sits 58% above the sector median at 3.78×, so the 10-K's management discussion should clarify what sustains that premium — pricing power, contract structure, or capital allocation. Also check the liquidity disclosures given the current ratio is 62% below the sector median of 2.29.
Pick two or three companies from the section 06 table and line up one metric — operating margin, P/E (sector median 33.7×), or ROIC — across your chosen names. The table is alphabetical with no ranking, so the selection and the weighting are yours to decide.
Steps you can check yourself, based on the figures in this brief.
Piotroski F-Score: nine binary tests of financial strength from the annual report. A ✓ marks a test passed, a dot (·) a test failed.
Over 4 years: -14%-3%-11%+3%
Over 4 years: 1.271.131.241.63
Over 4 years: +8%-2%+0%+3%
The context on the right shows how each figure compares with the sector median. The trend below tracks the change over recent fiscal years.
Beat consensus in 8 of 8 recent quarters — the company clears estimates regularly (consensus is often set conservatively).
Last quarter's EPS against consensus, plus the estimated date of the next report.
| -1% |
| -7% |
| CTVA | Corteva | 7/9 | 5% | +3% | — |
| DD | DuPont | 5/9 | -4% | +2% | — |
| DOW | Dow Inc. | 3/9 | -15% | -7% | — |
| ECL | Ecolab | 5/9 | 22% | +2% | 17% |
| FCX | Freeport-McMoRan | 5/9 | 23% | +2% | 25% |
| LIN | Linde plc | 4/9 | 18% | +3% | 26% |
| MLM | Martin Marietta | 8/9 | 12% | +9% | 23% |
| NEM | Newmont | 8/9 | 22% | +21% | — |
| NUE | Nucor | 6/9 | 8% | +6% | — |
| PKG | Packaging Corp | 3/9 | 17% | +7% | 12% |
| PPG | PPG Industries | 6/9 | 21% | +0% | — |
| SHW | Sherwin-Williams | 6/9 | 59% | +2% | — |
| STLD | Steel Dynamics | 5/9 | 13% | +4% | 8% |
| VMC | Vulcan Materials | 9/9 | 13% | +7% | 20% |
A sample of 15 companies in the sector including the target, alphabetical, unranked. Data from the latest SEC annual reports.
Rule-based classification of fundamentals against the sector. Not a price forecast and not investment advice.
The last few quarters are recent context, not a fixed rate. Consensus for near quarters is set low, so companies clear it routinely; over long horizons the forecasts run the other way, too high.
A description of what the market and analysts expect. Not a price forecast and not investment advice. Analyst forecasts run systematically optimistic over long horizons — read them with that discount.