Ashland [ASH] vs Linde plc [LIN] Detailed Stock Comparison

TLDR: Quick Comparison Summary

Based on 21 vital metrics comparison: Ashland Inc. wins in 8 metrics, Linde plc wins in 13 metrics, with 0 ties. Linde plc appears stronger overall.

View Metrics Details

Vital Metrics Comparison

Metric Ashland Inc. Linde plc Better
P/E Ratio (TTM) 18.02 34.73 Ashland Inc.
Price-to-Book Ratio 1.40 6.16 Ashland Inc.
Debt-to-Equity Ratio 79.29 70.63 Linde plc
PEG Ratio -0.19 26.03 Linde plc
EV/EBITDA 10.80 19.48 Ashland Inc.
Profit Margin (TTM) -38.34% 20.30% Linde plc
Operating Margin (TTM) 1.04% 28.17% Linde plc
EBITDA Margin (TTM) 1.04% 28.17% Linde plc
Return on Equity -29.98% 17.82% Linde plc
Return on Assets (TTM) 2.09% 7.17% Linde plc
Free Cash Flow (TTM) $-4.00M $5.09B Linde plc
Dividend Yield 2.63% 1.49% Ashland Inc.
1-Year Return 16.95% 6.44% Ashland Inc.
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM) 1.46 6.93 Ashland Inc.
Enterprise Value $3.81B $259.94B Linde plc
EV/Revenue Ratio 2.11 7.65 Ashland Inc.
Gross Profit Margin (TTM) 27.20% 48.12% Linde plc
Revenue per Share (TTM) $39 $72 Linde plc
Earnings per Share (Diluted) $-14.53 $14.63 Linde plc
Beta (Stock Volatility) 0.44 0.79 Ashland Inc.
Short % of Float 13.46% 1.53% Linde plc

Ashland Inc. vs Linde plc Stock Performance Analysis

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Performance Comparison

Short-term Returns

Stock1D1W1M3M6MYTD
Ashland Inc.-1.01%-0.54%8.49%-4.39%-2.20%-4.76%
Linde plc2.35%-0.06%2.84%1.17%24.05%18.28%

Long-term Returns

Stock1Y3Y5Y10Y15Y20Y
Ashland Inc.16.95%-35.22%-38.59%3.58%82.82%87.02%
Linde plc6.44%38.07%65.97%351.46%393.45%799.17%

Performance & Financial Health Analysis: Ashland Inc. vs Linde plc

MetricASHLIN
Market Information
Market Cap i$2.63B$236.47B
Market Cap CategoryMid capMega cap
10 Day Avg. Volume i535,6201,804,155
90 Day Avg. Volume i643,0872,343,675
Last Close$57.00$507.57
52 Week Range$46.30 - $65.65$387.78 - $521.28
% from 52W High-13.18%-2.63%
All-Time High$114.36 (Nov 28, 2022)$521.28 (May 01, 2026)
% from All-Time High-50.16%-2.63%
Growth Metrics
Quarterly Revenue Growth-0.05%0.06%
Quarterly Earnings Growth-0.05%-0.11%
Financial Health
Profit Margin (TTM) i-0.38%0.20%
Operating Margin (TTM) i0.01%0.28%
Return on Equity (TTM) i-0.30%0.18%
Debt to Equity (MRQ) i79.2970.63
Cash & Liquidity
Book Value per Share (MRQ)$41.04$82.48
Cash per Share (MRQ)$6.64$10.91
Operating Cash Flow (TTM) i$243.00M$10.35B
Levered Free Cash Flow (TTM) i$135.25M$4.79B
Dividends
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i2.63%1.49%
Last 12-Month Dividend i$1.64$7.60

Valuation & Enterprise Metrics Analysis: Ashland Inc. vs Linde plc

MetricASH (Apr 26, 2026)LIN (Apr 26, 2026)
Price Ratios
P/E Ratio (TTM) i18.0234.73
Forward P/E i12.0926.03
PEG Ratio i-0.1926.03
Price to Sales (TTM) i1.466.93
Price to Book (MRQ) i1.406.16
Market Capitalization
Market Capitalization i$2.63B$236.47B
Enterprise Value i$3.81B$259.94B
Enterprise Value Metrics
Enterprise to Revenue i2.117.65
Enterprise to EBITDA i10.8019.48
Risk & Other Metrics
Beta i0.440.79
Book Value per Share (MRQ) i$41.04$82.48

Financial Statements Comparison: Ashland Inc. vs Linde plc

Financial Metrics

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Revenue

Operating Margin

Profit Margin

Long Term Debt

Income Flow Analysis

Financial Statements Comparison

Income Statement

MetricASH (2025)LIN (2025)
Revenue/Sales i1.82B33.99B
Cost of Goods Sold i1.28B17.39B
COGS % of Revenue i69.9%51.2%
Gross Profit i549.00M16.60B
Gross Margin i30.1%48.8%
Research & Development i54.00M147.00M
Operating Income (EBIT) i88.00M9.25B
Operating Margin i4.8%27.2%
EBITDA i323.00M13.55B
EBITDA Margin i17.7%39.9%
Pre-Tax Income i-809.00M8.90B
Pre-Tax Income % of Revenue i-44.4%26.2%
Income Tax i13.00M1.99B
Income Tax % of Revenue i0.7%5.9%
Net Income (Profit) i-845.00M7.06B
Profit Margin i-46.3%20.8%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity Metrics

MetricASH (2025)LIN (2025)
Cash & Equivalents i215.00M5.06B
Total Current Assets i1.21B13.33B
Total Current Assets % of Revenue i66.1%39.2%
Total Current Liabilities i423.00M15.20B
Total Current Liabilities % of Revenue i23.2%44.7%
Long-Term Debt i1.47B21.50B
Long-Term Debt % of Revenue i80.5%63.3%
Total Shareholders Equity i1.90B39.74B
Retained Earnings i2.30B16.61B
Retained Earnings % of Revenue i126.0%48.9%
Property, Plant & Equipment i103.00M12.84B

Cash Flow Statement Comparison

MetricASH (2025)LIN (2025)
Operating Cash Flow i-631.00M10.44B
Operating Cash Flow % of Revenue i-34.6%30.7%
Capital Expenditures i-82.00MN/A
Free Cash Flow i-4.00M5.09B
FCF Margin i-0.2%15.0%
Debt Repayment iN/A-2.28B
Common Stock Repurchase i-100.00M-4.60B

Short Interest & Institutional Ownership Analysis

MetricASHLIN
Shares Short i5.47M7.08M
Short Ratio i8.282.61
Short % of Float i13.46%1.53%
Shares Outstanding i45.76M463.68M
Float Shares i42.49M461.73M
% Held by Insiders i1.15%0.26%
% Held by Institutions i108.27%87.78%
% Held by Public i-9.42%11.96%

Dividend Analysis & Yield Comparison: Ashland Inc. vs Linde plc

MetricASHLIN
Last 12-Month Dividend i$1.64$7.60
Last 12-Month Dividend Yield i2.63%1.49%
3-Year Avg Annual Dividend i$1.61$6.08
3-Year Avg Dividend Yield i0.57%0.33%
3-Year Total Dividends i$4.84$18.24
Ex-Dividend DateFeb 27, 2026Mar 11, 2026