LIN vs SHW

Linde plc and Sherwin-Williams, both Basic Materials

Linde plc is the larger company at $237B against $79B. On trailing earnings LIN is the cheaper of the two at a P/E of 31.7 against 32.1, a gap that is only a bargain if the two are growing at similar rates. Over the past year LIN returned +5.4% against +0.3% for SHW.

Linde plc and Sherwin-Williamscompared on valuation, return and Ryufin’s Smart Score
FigureLINSHW
Last close$490$349
Market cap$237B$79B
Trailing P/Elower is cheaper for the same earnings, not automatically better31.732.1
Dividend yield1.2%0.9%
1-year return+5.4%+0.3%
5-year return+71%+25%
Ryufin Smart Scoresector-relative, 1–106/106/10

Figures from SEC filings and end-of-day closes. Highlighting marks the higher or lower number, which is not the same as the better investment, a low P/E can be a warning and a high one can be deserved.

Linde plc

Revenue of $9.3B in Q2 2026, net income $1.9B. Its largest reported line is Americas, 46% of the disclosed total.

Sherwin-Williams

Revenue of $6.8B in Q2 2026, net income $844M. Its largest reported line is Paint Stores Group, 54% of the disclosed total.

Open these two in the interactive comparison to add more names, change the period or read the correlation.