Linde plc vs H&M (Hennes & Mauritz)

About

Linde plc is a Dublin, Ireland-incorporated global industrial gas and engineering company — publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: LIN) as an S&P 500 Materials component and the world's largest industrial gas company by revenue and market capitalization — producing, distributing, and marketing atmospheric gases (oxygen, nitrogen, argon), process gases (hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, acetylene), and specialty gases for semiconductor manufacturing, healthcare, food and beverage, steel production, chemical processing, and energy applications through approximately 65,000 employees in 100 countries. In fiscal year 2024, Linde reported $33 billion in revenue, 25.9% return on capital (ROC), 29.5% operating margin, 10% EPS growth, $9.4 billion in operating cash flow, and returned $7.1 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases — demonstrating industry-leading profitability metrics that reflect Linde's combination of long-term supply contracts, pricing power in specialty applications, and operational efficiency. Linde was formed from the $90 billion merger of Linde AG (Germany) and Praxair (US) completed in 2018, creating a combined industrial gas leader that nearly matches the scale of the other two major global industrial gas companies (Air Liquide and Air Products) combined. CEO Sanjiv Lamba leads Linde's strategy of expanding clean hydrogen production for energy transition, electronics gases supply for semiconductor manufacturing capacity additions, and healthcare oxygen delivery in emerging markets.