UPDATE 2-Linde surge helps European shares end flat amid rising coronavirus fears

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* Nestle falls after lowering growth target
* Automakers dip as data shows drop in China sales
* Coronavirus cases jump by over 14,000
* Rallying pound, Centrica slam London's FTSE 100
* Centrica plummets as 2019 profit slumps 35%

(Updates to close)
By Susan Mathew
Feb 13 (Reuters) - European shares fell marginally for the
first time in three sessions on Thursday as a surge in new
coronavirus cases in China wiped out any optimism about a
slowing spread rate in China, but Linde's record high on upbeat
growth outlook helped offset losses.
London's blue chip index .FTSE significantly
underperformed, down 1.1% as a rallying pound hit its
internationally exposed companies, while utility Centrica
CNA.L plunged 15% on reporting a 35% drop in 2019 profit. .L
The sterling surged 0.7% amid strong expectations that the
appointment of a new British finance minister will pave the way
for a more expansionary budget next month. GBP/
After trading lower in the session the pan-European STOXX
600 index .STOXX finished flat as the World Health
Organization said cases of coronavirus infections are not rising
dramatically outside China, calming some jitters. The index notched new highs in the last two sessions on
optimism over what appeared to be a decline in new cases of
infection, as well as a slow restart in factory activity after
an extended break in China.
But a dramatic jump in new cases after China deployed a new
diagnostic method, and a record rise in the death toll, dashed
those hopes and swiftly subdued risk appetite. HSBC lowered its
first-quarter forecast for mainland China's economic growth on
Thursday. While the new charts of infection rates look much more
worrying, the number of recoveries is also on the rise,
providing some hope that the situation is still moving in the
right direction, said Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at
IG.
Auto stocks .SXAP slid 0.8% after data showed auto sales
in China likely fell 18% in January, their 19th straight month
of decline, with the virus outbreak further hurting demand.
Nestle SA NESN.S , the biggest firm on the STOXX 600 by
market capitalization, dropped 2.2% after it pushed back its
2020 growth target to over the next two years. Among bright spots were German shares of industrial gases
group Linde LINI.DE which rose 3.2% after it said it aims for
further profit gain in 2020. Its rise helped Germany's
China-sensitive DAX .GADXI wipe most of the session's losses.
Zurich Insurance ZURN.S and Dutch peer NN Group NN.AS ,
electrical parts maker Rexel SA RXL.PA and Commerzbank
CBKG.DE all rallied to the top of the STOXX 600 after handily
topping earnings expectations.
European real estate .SX86P , utility .SX6P and
healthcare sectors .SXDP benefited from some defensive buying.
Italian shares .FTMIB managed to weather the rout as
Telecom Italia TLIT.MI surged after on expectations for M&A
moves on its network, while payment firm Nexi NEXII.MI jumped
on multiple price target hikes after strong earnings.