Linde (LIN) Competitors

Linde (NASDAQ:LIN) and Ameriprise Financial (NYSE:AMP) are related large-cap companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, risk, media sentiment, dividends, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, profitability and earnings.

Is LIN or AMP a better dividend stock?

Linde pays an annual dividend of $6.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Ameriprise Financial pays an annual dividend of $6.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Linde pays out 42.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Ameriprise Financial pays out 19.9% 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 raised its dividend for 5 consecutive years and Ameriprise Financial has raised its dividend for 21 consecutive years.

Which has more volatility & risk, LIN or AMP?

Linde has a beta of 0.92, suggesting that its share price is 8% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ameriprise Financial has a beta of 1.24, suggesting that its share price is 24% more volatile than the S&P 500.

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

82.8% of Linde shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 84.0% of Ameriprise Financial shares are held by institutional investors. 0.7% of Linde shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.6% of Ameriprise Financial shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Does the media favor LIN or AMP?

In the previous week, Linde had 30 more articles in the media than Ameriprise Financial. MarketBeat recorded 62 mentions for Linde and 32 mentions for Ameriprise Financial. Ameriprise Financial's average media sentiment score of 1.55 beat Linde's score of 1.20 indicating that Ameriprise Financial is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Linde	40 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	14 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Ameriprise Financial	29 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive

Which has preferable earnings and valuation, LIN or AMP?

Linde has higher revenue and earnings than Ameriprise Financial. Ameriprise Financial 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	$33.01B	6.67	$6.57B	$14.06	33.24
Ameriprise Financial	$17.26B	2.79	$3.40B	$32.14	15.76

Do analysts recommend LIN or AMP?

Linde presently has a consensus target price of $519.63, suggesting a potential upside of 11.17%. Ameriprise Financial has a consensus target price of $534.71, suggesting a potential upside of 5.57%. Given Linde's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Linde is more favorable than Ameriprise Financial.

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
Ameriprise Financial	2 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.13

Is LIN or AMP more profitable?

Linde has a net margin of 20.20% compared to Ameriprise Financial's net margin of 18.30%. Ameriprise Financial's return on equity of 65.90% beat Linde's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Linde	20.20%	19.09%	9.19%
Ameriprise Financial	18.30%	65.90%	2.02%

Summary

Linde beats Ameriprise Financial on 13 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.