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STOCK COMPARISON

Linde plc Ordinary Shares vs Ecolab: Fair Value & Quality

Both stocks run through our valuation models. Here is how Linde plc Ordinary Shares (LIN) and Ecolab (ECL) compare, as of Aug 16, 2026.

As of Aug 16, 2026, Fair Value Calculator sees Linde plc Ordinary Shares as the less overvalued of the two: Linde plc Ordinary Shares trades at $483 versus a fair value of $222 (-54%), while Ecolab trades at $276 versus $96.18 (-65%).
Linde plc Ordinary Shares
LIN · USD · Materials
-54%
upside to fair value
overvalued
Price$483
Fair Value$222
Quality70/100
Ecolab
ECL · USD · Materials
-65%
upside to fair value
overvalued
Price$276
Fair Value$96.18
Quality62/100

Head-to-head numbers

Green value = the better side for that row (for valuation multiples: lower = cheaper).

Linde plc Ordinary SharesEcolab
Valuation
32.5×P/E (TTM)37.2×
6.95×P/S (TTM)4.69×
6.30×P/B7.90×
18.9×EV/EBITDA20.8×
2.18×PEG2.55×
1.2%Dividend yield1.0%
$6.10Dividend per share$2.76
Profitability
20%Net margin13%
28%Operating margin17%
18%Return on equity22%
7%Return on assets8%
Growth
8%Revenue growth (YoY)10%
0.6%Avg. growth/yr (3Y)4.3%
4.5%Avg. growth/yr (5Y)6.4%
Balance & size
0.54×Debt / equity0.75×
$241BMarket cap$77B
healthyGrowth qualityhealthy

Linde plc Ordinary Shares leads: 8 to 6 metric wins.

Dash = not meaningfully computable, for example with negative equity.

Quality in detail

The quality score, broken down into the same factor families as on the stock page, 0 to 100 per family.

Linde plc Ordinary Sharesof which business quality 66 · market factors 57 Ecolabof which business quality 59 · market factors 52
ProfitabilityMargins and returns on capital today
51
57
Quality GrowthAre margins and returns improving?
51
34
CashflowEarnings quality: real cash, not paper profit
64
58
Fin. StrengthBalance sheet, leverage, solvency risk
69
56
InvestmentDisciplined investing over empire-building
70
66
Low VolatilityCalm price path (market factor)
87
77
MomentumPrice trend over the last 3–12 months (market factor)
43
41
52W MomentumDistance to the 52-week high (market factor)
48
42
Net IssuanceBuybacks instead of dilution
100
85

What the models say

The median fair value (base case) per model family, each in the currency of its trading venue. Green = above the current price, red = below.

Linde plc Ordinary Shares

DCF Models$211
Earnings-Based$132
Dividend Discount$116
Multiples$239
Asset-Based$55.42
Growth DCF$155
Economic Profit$156
Growth Earnings$204

26 of 26 models see the stock below the current price.

Ecolab

DCF Models$103
Earnings-Based$65.02
Dividend Discount$46.86
Multiples$104
Asset-Based$23.26
Growth DCF$88.52
Economic Profit$76.77
Growth Earnings$118

26 of 26 models see the stock below the current price.

Scenario ranges

From our cautious bear case to the optimistic bull case. The white tick is the current price: left of fair value means room to run.

Linde plc Ordinary Shares
Bear $121Fair Value $222Bull $291
$483 = current price (white tick)
Ecolab
Bear $56.66Fair Value $96.18Bull $128
$276 = current price (white tick)

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Ranked within their sector

Where each stock sits within its sector peer group. Band = middle 50% of peers, tick = median, dot = this stock.

Linde plc Ordinary Shares · Materials

Quality score70 · Top 25%
Fair value upside-54% · below median

Ecolab · Materials

Quality score62 · Top 25%
Fair value upside-65% · bottom 25%

Bottom line

As of Aug 16, 2026, Fair Value Calculator sees Linde plc Ordinary Shares as the less overvalued of the two: Linde plc Ordinary Shares trades at $483 versus a fair value of $222 (-54%), while Ecolab trades at $276 versus $96.18 (-65%).

Linde plc Ordinary Shares has the higher quality score (70/100).

See the full analysis →
Linde plc Ordinary Shares · Ecolab

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A model-based valuation snapshot from 21 models. Values change with price and fundamentals; the date shown above applies.