Sherwin-Williams (SHW) Competitors

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

Does the media refer more to LIN or SHW?

In the previous week, Sherwin-Williams had 1 more articles in the media than Linde. MarketBeat recorded 45 mentions for Sherwin-Williams and 44 mentions for Linde. Linde's average media sentiment score of 1.54 beat Sherwin-Williams' score of 1.49 indicating that Linde is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Linde	38 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
Sherwin-Williams	36 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more risk & volatility, LIN or SHW?

Linde has a beta of 0.92, meaning that its share price is 8% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Sherwin-Williams has a beta of 1.16, meaning that its share price is 16% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has higher earnings and valuation, LIN or SHW?

Linde has higher revenue and earnings than Sherwin-Williams. Linde is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Sherwin-Williams, 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	$33.01B	6.81	$6.57B	$14.06	34.07
Sherwin-Williams	$23.10B	3.91	$2.68B	$10.08	35.90

Do insiders and institutionals have more ownership in LIN or SHW?

82.8% of Linde shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 77.7% of Sherwin-Williams shares are held by institutional investors. 0.7% of Linde shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of Sherwin-Williams shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Is LIN or SHW a better dividend stock?

Linde pays an annual dividend of $6.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Sherwin-Williams pays an annual dividend of $3.16 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. Linde pays out 42.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Sherwin-Williams pays out 31.3% 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 Sherwin-Williams has increased its dividend for 48 consecutive years.

Do analysts recommend LIN or SHW?

Linde currently has a consensus target price of $519.63, suggesting a potential upside of 8.48%. Sherwin-Williams has a consensus target price of $388.60, suggesting a potential upside of 7.38%. Given Linde's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Linde is more favorable than Sherwin-Williams.

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
Sherwin-Williams	0 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	10 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.71

Is LIN or SHW more profitable?

Linde has a net margin of 20.20% compared to Sherwin-Williams' net margin of 11.03%. Sherwin-Williams' return on equity of 66.91% beat Linde's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Linde	20.20%	19.09%	9.19%
Sherwin-Williams	11.03%	66.91%	11.48%

Summary

Linde beats Sherwin-Williams on 12 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.