Steel Dynamics (STLD) Competitors

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) and Steel Dynamics (NASDAQ:STLD) are both large-cap basic materials companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, media sentiment, earnings, profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation and risk.

Do analysts rate LIN or STLD?

Linde currently has a consensus price target of $519.63, suggesting a potential upside of 9.80%. Steel Dynamics has a consensus price target of $149.33, suggesting a potential upside of 18.90%. Given Steel Dynamics' higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Steel Dynamics is more favorable than Linde.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Linde	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Steel Dynamics	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.73

Which has better valuation and earnings, LIN or STLD?

Linde has higher revenue and earnings than Steel Dynamics. Steel Dynamics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Linde, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Linde	$33.25B	6.67	$6.57B	$14.06	33.66
Steel Dynamics	$17.54B	1.06	$1.54B	$6.86	18.31

Does the media prefer LIN or STLD?

In the previous week, Linde had 48 more articles in the media than Steel Dynamics. MarketBeat recorded 61 mentions for Linde and 13 mentions for Steel Dynamics. Steel Dynamics' average media sentiment score of 1.78 beat Linde's score of 1.42 indicating that Steel Dynamics is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Linde	52 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Steel Dynamics	11 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	0 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive

Do institutionals and insiders hold more shares of LIN or STLD?

82.8% of Linde shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 82.4% of Steel Dynamics shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.7% of Linde shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.3% of Steel Dynamics shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Is LIN or STLD a better dividend stock?

Linde pays an annual dividend of $6.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Steel Dynamics pays an annual dividend of $2.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. Linde pays out 42.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Steel Dynamics pays out 29.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Linde has increased its dividend for 5 consecutive years and Steel Dynamics has increased its dividend for 13 consecutive years. Steel Dynamics is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Is LIN or STLD more profitable?

Linde has a net margin of 20.20% compared to Steel Dynamics' net margin of 6.07%. Linde's return on equity of 19.09% beat Steel Dynamics' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Linde	20.20%	19.09%	9.19%
Steel Dynamics	6.07%	11.88%	6.71%

Which has more risk & volatility, LIN or STLD?

Linde has a beta of 0.92, suggesting that its stock price is 8% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Steel Dynamics has a beta of 1.38, suggesting that its stock price is 38% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Linde beats Steel Dynamics on 12 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.