Home Compare LIN vs LYB
Stock Comparison · Industry comparison · Specialty Chemicals

Linde vs LyondellBasell Industries N.V.: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Linde holds the cleaner structural position, with profitability as the main driver and valuation adding further support. LyondellBasell Industries still has the edge on valuation, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. In the market, LyondellBasell Industries carries the stronger setup — intact trend against Linde's broken trend. That leaves a split case: the structural lead stays with Linde, but the market is not currently confirming it.

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 2026-08-16

The result is anchored in profitability, but stability also reinforces the same direction.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Specialty Chemicals

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. LIN and LYB share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how Linde and LyondellBasell Industries each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
LIN
Linde plc
68
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
LYB
LyondellBasell Industries N.V.
61
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 LYB Profitability 76 33 Stability 65 43 Valuation 56 88 Growth 75 82 LIN LYB
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +43
#2 Valuation +32
#3 Stability +22
#4 Growth +7
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for LIN and LYB Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer LINLYB Relative valuation Structural strength

Linde plc is stronger, but the price setup still looks more supportive for LyondellBasell Industries N.V..

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) and Forward P/E where available.

Entry today — historical context

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

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY LIN Elevated · near norm 0th 50th 100th 66 pct gap LYB Lower · near norm 0th 50th 100th 91st 26th
Today LYB sits in the lower-middle of its own 5-year history (26th percentile), while LIN sits higher in its own history (91st). Within each stock's own 5-year context, LYB 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
Profitability
Linde plc ranks near the top of the group on profitability; LyondellBasell Industries N.V. sits in the weaker half.
Valuation
On valuation, the edge is clear — both rank well, but LyondellBasell Industries N.V. sits noticeably higher.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
LIN
76
LYB
33
Gap+43in favour of LIN

The profitability lead is mainly driven by a 10.2-point operating margin advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Absolute pricing still looks more supportive for LyondellBasell Industries, with a forward P/E that is 14.8 turns lower there.

What this means for the comparison

The profitability lead is clear, but pricing and valuation still pull in the other direction — the result holds, but not without friction.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

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

Explore full breakdown →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how LIN and LYB 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.