Barclays Cuts Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) Price Target to $280.00

Key Points

• Barclays cut Lincoln Electric's price target from $310 to $280 but kept an overweight rating, implying about an 11.7% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst views are mixed—several firms raised targets (Roth MKM $297, Baird $330, Stifel $300) while Wall Street Zen downgraded to a hold, leaving the consensus rating at "Hold" with an average target of $296.29.
• Shares traded at $250.71 midday; Lincoln Electric beat Q4 EPS estimates ($2.65 vs. $2.53) but revenue was slightly below expectations at $1.08B, and the company has a market cap of $13.74B with a P/E of 26.9.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) had its target price dropped by equities research analysts at Barclays from $310.00 to $280.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the industrial products company's stock. Barclays's target price would suggest a potential upside of 11.68% from the stock's previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and set a $297.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lincoln Electric from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Lincoln Electric from $253.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $296.29.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LECO traded up $1.63 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $250.71. 203,579 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 358,537. Lincoln Electric has a twelve month low of $161.11 and a twelve month high of $310.00. The firm has a market cap of $13.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.90, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.24. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $271.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $250.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.82 and a quick ratio of 1.16.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.12. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.35% and a net margin of 12.30%.The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.09 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Lincoln Electric will post 9.36 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Lincoln Electric during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3,700.0% in the third quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 114 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Institutional investors own 79.61% of the company's stock.

Lincoln Electric Company Profile

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc NASDAQ: LECO is a global manufacturer and distributor of welding products, robotic welding systems, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment, and surface treatment systems. The company's portfolio encompasses welding consumables such as electrodes and wires, as well as power sources, torches, and automated welding cells. Lincoln Electric also offers software solutions and training services designed to optimize productivity and quality in fabrication and manufacturing operations.

Founded in 1895 by John C.

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