Alcoa Corp vs LINDE PLC. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where AA and LIN diverge most: on debt / equity, AA reads 0.02 and LIN reads 0.66; on revenue growth, AA reads +0.2% and LIN reads +5.0%. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. On valuation, today's AA price has a different growth bar priced in than LIN (+4.8% implied for AA vs +21.4% for LIN); the higher figure is the steeper assumption to clear, not a better or worse stock. What AA's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (segment-resolved basis). What LIN's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | AA | LIN |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $48.66 | $529.65 |
| Market cap | $12.9B | $247.0B |
| Sector | Steel | Chemicals |
| Stage | Cyclical | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +4.8% | +21.4% |
| P/E | 12.5 | 35.1 |
| P/B | 1.90 | 6.16 |
| P/S | 1.02 | 7.13 |
| EV/EBITDA | 18.4 | 20.8 |
| Revenue growth | +0.2% | +5.0% |
| Operating margin | — | 27.8% |
| Net margin | 8.2% | 20.4% |
| Return on equity | 15.2% | 17.7% |
| Return on assets | 6.2% | 8.2% |
| Return on invested capital | — | 10.9% |
| FCF yield | 2.2% | 2.1% |
| Dividend yield | 0.2% | 1.1% |
| Debt / equity | 0.02 | 0.66 |
| Current ratio | 1.48 | 0.83 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 1.70 | 3.95 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 4 / 9 | 8 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.