Stock fact sheet · data as of
Linde plc (LIN): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol LIN · Basic Materials · Chemicals - Specialty · United Kingdom · Growth
Is LIN undervalued?
Linde plc (LIN) closed at 524.74 on 5 Nov 2026, 101% above the GLS average fair value of 261.08. 9 of the 9 models that produced a number value the shares below the current price. A gap this wide usually means the market is paying for growth or a story the trailing numbers do not show yet; the models work from filed results, not forecasts, so they are conservative by design.
There is a wide gap between DDM (92.70) and DCF (487.68). When the models are this far apart the "fair value" is really a range, and the margin of safety above should be read with that range in mind.
Ranked against every other company we cover, LIN is clearly faster-growing than it is cheap, so the nightly engine files it under Growth (value score 12, growth score 38, out of 100).
Nine valuation models for LIN
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 487.68 | -7% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | 171.16 | -67% | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share |
| Graham Growth | 452.97 | -14% | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields |
| Lynch | 166.98 | -68% | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25% |
| GLS Growth | 160.02 | -70% | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year |
| 10 Cap | 384.07 | -27% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | 265.08 | -49% | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself |
| DDM | 92.70 | -82% | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend |
| EPV | 169.03 | -68% | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth |
| Zombie (liquidation) | -73.52 | -114% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 558.00 | +6% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
Linde plc scores 7 of 9 on the Piotroski F-score, the nine yes/no tests of profitability, leverage and efficiency on the latest annual accounts - a strong reading that passes the "Piotroski 6 or more" Wheel Trade Filter with room to spare. On durability LIN scores 5.8/10 on the GLS Moat - a middle reading; the Moat Score tab on the Quote page's Financials view shows which of the four parts hold it back.
Returns on capital are moderate - ROIC 10.6%, ROE 18.0%, ROA 7.9% - with debt at 0.71 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 2.1%.
The dividend yield is 1.20% with a payout ratio of 42% - a small yield that leaves most of the earnings in the business. Revenue comes mainly from Americas 42%, EMEA 27%, Asia-Pacific 23% (quarter Q3 FY2026).
Institutional ownership scores 10/10, insider activity 1/10 and Congressional trading 1/10 on the GLS smart-money scales; the last recorded Congressional buy was on 4 Sep 2026.
| Piotroski F-score | 7 / 9 | ROIC | 10.6% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 5.8 / 10 | ROE | 18.0% |
| Debt / equity | 0.71 | ROA | 7.9% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 2.1% | Payout ratio | 42% |
| Institutions | 10 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 1 · 1 / 10 |
Wheel Score 35: Weak
With a Wheel Score of 35 Linde plc sits in the Weak band. It fails filter 3, below fair value - trades 101% above our fair value; and filter 7, a premium worth selling - implied volatility 23% (under 25%); Value (weak) is its weakest part.
Implied volatility on the near-the-money contracts is 23%, below the 25% the Wheel Trade Filter on premium asks for: a put pays too little to be worth selling. Chain open interest is 43,623 contracts across all expiries - enough for the wheel at normal size.
Volume runs at 2.3M shares a day on a market cap of $240.9B, with a beta of 0.68 - a low beta, so day-to-day moves are smaller than the market's; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that strong.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Passes | Listed options with 1,000+ contracts of open interest and 100+ traded a day |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Passes | Profitable over the last twelve months - not a speculative stock, fund or note |
| 3 | Below fair value | Fails | trades 101% above our fair value |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Passes | Piotroski F-score 6 or more out of 9 (a company with no score on file passes) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Passes | Long-term debt repaid from 3 years of operating cash flow or less (6 for real estate and utilities; banks and insurers are not judged on it) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Fails | implied volatility 23% (under 25%) |
| 8 | Big enough | Passes | Market cap $1 billion or more |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Weak | 101% above fair value | |
| Premium | Weak | implied volatility 23% | |
| Moat | Fair | moat 5.8/10 | |
| Health | Good | Piotroski 7/9 | |
| Red Flags | Strong | Red Flags score 100/100 | |
| Option trading | Good | 2,105 contracts a day, 43,623 open interest | |
| Stability | Strong | beta 0.68, $240.9B company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for LIN in the nightly calendar. The shares go ex-dividend on 3 Dec 2026 (1.60 per share), so a covered call sold before then carries a small early-assignment risk around that date.
No analyst upgrades or downgrades were recorded in the last 30 days.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Chemicals - Specialty
The 12 companies below are the closest to Linde plc by market cap within the Chemicals - Specialty industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ECL Ecolab Inc. | 315.01 | 154.74 | -104% | 33Weak | $88.4B |
| SHW The Sherwin-Williams Company | 363.50 | 201.73 | -80% | 40Weak | $87.8B |
| APD Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. | 318.87 | 175.07 | -82% | 31Weak | $71.0B |
| PPG PPG Industries, Inc. | 127.27 | 113.68 | -12% | 38Weak | $28.1B |
| IFF International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. | 87.67 | 24.93 | -252% | 31Weak | $22.4B |
| LYB LyondellBasell Industries N.V. | 62.96 | 78.35 | +20% | 53Fair | $20.4B |
| SQM Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. | 57.56 | 66.32 | +13% | 44Weak | $16.4B |
| RPM RPM International Inc. | 109.05 | 94.12 | -16% | 36Weak | $13.9B |
| ALB Albemarle Corporation | 94.97 | 108.03 | +12% | 78Good | $11.2B |
| SOLS Solstice Advanced Materials Inc. | 57.70 | 66.43 | +13% | 47Weak | $9.2B |
| WLK Westlake Corporation | 67.90 | 64.66 | -5% | 33Weak | $8.7B |
| ESI Element Solutions Inc | 33.44 | 14.06 | -138% | 35Weak | $8.1B |
Scan the whole market the same way
A free GLS Equity account gets you nightly fair value and the Wheel Score on ~7,400 US stocks, a watchlist, the scanner preview and the Sunday Scan - the top 10 stocks that pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters, emailed every week. Pro adds the full put and call scanners, unlimited watchlists with alerts and the trade journal.
Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about LIN
Is LIN undervalued right now?
No: at 524.74 the stock trades 101% above the GLS average fair value of 261.08 (data as of 5 Nov 2026), well beyond what trailing earnings, cash flow and book value support.
What is the Wheel Score of LIN and what does it mean?
LIN scores 35 out of 100 (Weak) - it fails Wheel Trade Filters 3, 7. The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for LIN?
261.08 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 9 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does Linde plc report earnings next?
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for LIN in our calendar as of 5 Nov 2026; the Calendars page is refreshed every morning.
Does LIN have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 378 listed contracts with 43,623 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 23% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.