Linde (LIN) Competitors

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) and Nutrien (NYSE:NTR) 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 analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, media sentiment, profitability, valuation, dividends and earnings.

Which has more risk & volatility, LIN or NTR?

Linde has a beta of 0.96, indicating that its stock price is 4% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Nutrien has a beta of 0.8, indicating that its stock price is 20% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has better earnings & valuation, LIN or NTR?

Linde has higher revenue and earnings than Nutrien. Linde is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Nutrien, 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	6.80	$6.57B	$13.77	34.62
Nutrien	$25.97B	1.10	$674M	$1.07	54.71

Is LIN or NTR a better dividend stock?

Linde pays an annual dividend of $6.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Nutrien pays an annual dividend of $2.18 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.7%. Linde pays out 43.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Nutrien pays out 203.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Linde has increased its dividend for 5 consecutive years and Nutrien has increased its dividend for 7 consecutive years. Nutrien is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Is LIN or NTR more profitable?

Linde has a net margin of 20.02% compared to Nutrien's net margin of 2.05%. Linde's return on equity of 18.95% beat Nutrien's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Linde	20.02%	18.95%	9.26%
Nutrien	2.05%	6.08%	2.86%

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in LIN or NTR?

82.8% of Linde shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 63.1% of Nutrien shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.7% of Linde shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.1% of Nutrien shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Do analysts recommend LIN or NTR?

Linde presently has a consensus target price of $515.90, indicating a potential upside of 8.21%. Nutrien has a consensus target price of $62.12, indicating a potential upside of 6.12%. Given Linde's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Linde is more favorable than Nutrien.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Linde	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	9 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Nutrien	2 Sell rating(s)	8 Hold rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.39

Does the media favor LIN or NTR?

In the previous week, Linde had 29 more articles in the media than Nutrien. MarketBeat recorded 42 mentions for Linde and 13 mentions for Nutrien. Linde's average media sentiment score of 1.63 beat Nutrien's score of 1.10 indicating that Linde is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Linde	37 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
Nutrien	7 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Summary

Linde beats Nutrien on 16 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.