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Stock Comparison · Structural lead, mixed market

Linde vs Constellation Brands: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Linde holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across stability and valuation. Constellation Brands still has the edge on valuation, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup broadly confirms the structural lead — Linde holds the more constructive position. That puts structure and market broadly in agreement — Linde's lead looks more confirmed than conflicted.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-07-05

The lead is spread across stability and profitability, rather than sitting in one isolated gap. Linde plc leads by 16 points on the overall comparison score.

Trajectory Similarity
0.62
Moderately similar
Peer-set rank: #24
within Linde plc's functional peer set

These two companies are linked by measured long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

This level of similarity points to a meaningful structural match, though not a tight one.

The match is driven mainly by investment intensity and revenue growth trajectory.

Similarity drivers
investment intensityrevenue growth trajectory
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
LIN
Linde plc
67
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
STZ
Constellation Brands, Inc.
51
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: LIN vs STZ Profitability 79 44 Stability 79 18 Valuation 50 87 Growth 63 38 LIN STZ
Gap Ranking
#1 Stability +61
#2 Valuation +37
#3 Profitability +35
#4 Growth +25
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for LIN and STZ Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer LINSTZ Relative valuation Structural strength

Linde plc looks stronger, but the price setup still looks more supportive for Constellation Brands, Inc..

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where LIN and STZ each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY LIN Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 95 pct gap STZ Lower · below norm 0th 50th 100th 99th 4th
Today STZ sits in the lower portion of its own 5-year history (4th percentile), while LIN sits higher in its own history (99th). Within each stock's own 5-year context, STZ is at a historically more favourable entry position than LIN. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger — peer-relative analysis is a separate question addressed above.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Stability
Linde plc ranks near the top of the group on stability; Constellation Brands, Inc. sits in the weaker half.
Valuation
On valuation, the same pattern holds: both are strong, but Constellation Brands, Inc. still leads clearly.
Stability — Dominant Gap
LIN
79
STZ
18
Gap+61in favour of LIN

The clearest distance comes from a steadier profile over time.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Absolute pricing still looks more supportive for Constellation Brands, with a forward P/E that is 16.6 turns lower there.

What this means for the comparison

Stability settles the comparison, while pricing and valuation keep the broader setup from looking fully aligned.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the LIN vs STZ comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

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Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how LIN and STZ each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.