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Side-by-side financial comparison of Capital One (COF) and Linde plc (LIN). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

Capital One is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($11.7B vs $8.8B, roughly 1.3× Linde plc). Capital One runs the higher net margin — 18.6% vs 17.5%, a 1.1% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Capital One posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (52.3% vs 5.8%). Over the past eight quarters, Capital One's revenue compounded faster (10.9% CAGR vs 4.0%).

Capital One Financial Corporation is an American bank holding company founded on July 21, 1994, and specializing in credit cards, auto loans, banking, and savings accounts, headquartered in Tysons, Virginia, with operations primarily in the United States. It is the sixth-largest bank in the United States by total assets as of June 30, 2025, the third-largest issuer of Visa and Mastercard credit cards, and one of the largest car finance companies in the United States.

Linde is a global multinational chemical company and the world's largest industrial gas supplier by market share and revenue. Founded by German scientist and engineer Carl von Linde in 1879 in Wiesbaden, Germany, the company is now headquartered in Woking, United Kingdom, and registered in Ireland as Linde plc. Linde plc was formed in 2018 through the merger of Linde AG and Praxair, which was founded in 1907 in the United States as Linde Air Products Company.

COF vs LIN — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
COF
COF
1.3× larger
COF
$11.7B
$8.8B
LIN
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
COF
COF
+46.5% gap
COF
52.3%
5.8%
LIN
Higher net margin
COF
COF
1.1% more per $
COF
18.6%
17.5%
LIN
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
COF
COF
Annualised
COF
10.9%
4.0%
LIN

Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
COF
COF
LIN
LIN
Revenue
$11.7B
$8.8B
Net Profit
$2.2B
$1.5B
Gross Margin
Operating Margin
23.0%
Net Margin
18.6%
17.5%
Revenue YoY
52.3%
5.8%
Net Profit YoY
54.8%
-11.3%
EPS (diluted)
$3.34
$3.28

Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.

8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend

Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.

Revenue
COF
COF
LIN
LIN
Q1 26
$11.7B
Q4 25
$15.6B
$8.8B
Q3 25
$15.4B
$8.6B
Q2 25
$12.5B
$8.5B
Q1 25
$10.0B
$8.1B
Q4 24
$10.2B
$8.3B
Q3 24
$10.0B
$8.4B
Q2 24
$9.5B
$8.3B
Net Profit
COF
COF
LIN
LIN
Q1 26
$2.2B
Q4 25
$2.1B
$1.5B
Q3 25
$3.2B
$1.9B
Q2 25
$-4.3B
$1.8B
Q1 25
$1.4B
$1.7B
Q4 24
$1.1B
$1.7B
Q3 24
$1.8B
$1.6B
Q2 24
$597.0M
$1.7B
Operating Margin
COF
COF
LIN
LIN
Q1 26
Q4 25
85.8%
23.0%
Q3 25
28.5%
27.5%
Q2 25
-47.5%
27.7%
Q1 25
17.3%
26.9%
Q4 24
14.3%
27.4%
Q3 24
22.1%
25.0%
Q2 24
6.8%
26.4%
Net Margin
COF
COF
LIN
LIN
Q1 26
18.6%
Q4 25
87.2%
17.5%
Q3 25
20.8%
22.4%
Q2 25
-34.2%
20.8%
Q1 25
14.0%
20.6%
Q4 24
10.8%
20.8%
Q3 24
17.7%
18.5%
Q2 24
6.3%
20.1%
EPS (diluted)
COF
COF
LIN
LIN
Q1 26
$3.34
Q4 25
$4.33
$3.28
Q3 25
$4.83
$4.09
Q2 25
$-8.58
$3.73
Q1 25
$3.45
$3.51
Q4 24
$2.67
$3.61
Q3 24
$4.41
$3.22
Q2 24
$1.38
$3.44

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
COF
COF
LIN
LIN
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$5.1B
Total DebtLower is stronger
$20.7B
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$112.3B
$38.2B
Total Assets
$682.9B
$86.8B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.54×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
COF
COF
LIN
LIN
Q1 26
Q4 25
$5.1B
Q3 25
$4.5B
Q2 25
$4.8B
Q1 25
$5.3B
Q4 24
$4.8B
Q3 24
$5.2B
Q2 24
$4.6B
Total Debt
COF
COF
LIN
LIN
Q1 26
Q4 25
$49.9B
$20.7B
Q3 25
$50.9B
$18.6B
Q2 25
$51.9B
$19.7B
Q1 25
$41.2B
$17.6B
Q4 24
$45.0B
$15.3B
Q3 24
$48.8B
$17.5B
Q2 24
$47.2B
$16.9B
Stockholders' Equity
COF
COF
LIN
LIN
Q1 26
$112.3B
Q4 25
$113.6B
$38.2B
Q3 25
$113.8B
$38.6B
Q2 25
$111.0B
$38.5B
Q1 25
$63.5B
$38.0B
Q4 24
$60.8B
$38.1B
Q3 24
$62.9B
$39.2B
Q2 24
$58.0B
$38.2B
Total Assets
COF
COF
LIN
LIN
Q1 26
$682.9B
Q4 25
$669.0B
$86.8B
Q3 25
$661.9B
$86.0B
Q2 25
$659.0B
$86.1B
Q1 25
$493.6B
$82.7B
Q4 24
$490.1B
$80.1B
Q3 24
$486.4B
$82.5B
Q2 24
$480.0B
$80.2B
Debt / Equity
COF
COF
LIN
LIN
Q1 26
Q4 25
0.44×
0.54×
Q3 25
0.45×
0.48×
Q2 25
0.47×
0.51×
Q1 25
0.65×
0.46×
Q4 24
0.74×
0.40×
Q3 24
0.78×
0.45×
Q2 24
0.81×
0.44×

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.

Metric
COF
COF
LIN
LIN
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$3.0B
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$1.6B
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
17.9%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
16.6%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
1.98×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$5.1B

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
COF
COF
LIN
LIN
Q1 26
Q4 25
$27.7B
$3.0B
Q3 25
$9.2B
$2.9B
Q2 25
$6.1B
$2.2B
Q1 25
$4.7B
$2.2B
Q4 24
$18.2B
$2.8B
Q3 24
$6.5B
$2.7B
Q2 24
$6.2B
$1.9B
Free Cash Flow
COF
COF
LIN
LIN
Q1 26
Q4 25
$26.1B
$1.6B
Q3 25
$8.8B
$1.7B
Q2 25
$5.7B
$954.0M
Q1 25
$4.3B
$891.0M
Q4 24
$17.0B
$1.6B
Q3 24
$6.1B
$1.7B
Q2 24
$6.0B
$796.0M
FCF Margin
COF
COF
LIN
LIN
Q1 26
Q4 25
167.7%
17.9%
Q3 25
57.1%
19.4%
Q2 25
45.4%
11.2%
Q1 25
43.2%
11.0%
Q4 24
166.4%
18.8%
Q3 24
61.4%
19.9%
Q2 24
62.6%
9.6%
Capex Intensity
COF
COF
LIN
LIN
Q1 26
Q4 25
10.1%
16.6%
Q3 25
2.5%
14.8%
Q2 25
3.2%
14.8%
Q1 25
3.5%
15.7%
Q4 24
11.8%
15.1%
Q3 24
3.1%
12.8%
Q2 24
3.0%
13.7%
Cash Conversion
COF
COF
LIN
LIN
Q1 26
Q4 25
12.99×
1.98×
Q3 25
2.87×
1.53×
Q2 25
1.25×
Q1 25
3.32×
1.29×
Q4 24
16.57×
1.63×
Q3 24
3.63×
1.76×
Q2 24
10.46×
1.16×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

COF
COF

Segment breakdown not available.

LIN
LIN

Other$4.9B56%
Packaged Gas$1.6B19%
Merchant$1.2B14%
On Site$950.0M11%
Other Distribution Methods$64.0M1%

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