Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) Stock Rated "Moderate Buy" by Wall Street Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts hold a “Moderate Buy” consensus on Lincoln Electric, with five buy ratings, one strong-buy rating and four hold ratings. The average 12-month price target is $307.22, above the reported $258.78 share price.
• Lincoln Electric exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $2.93 versus the $2.81 consensus and revenue of $1.22 billion, up 12% year over year. Analysts expect full-year EPS of approximately $11.18.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.79 per share, equal to $3.16 annually and a 1.2% yield; institutional investors own approximately 79.6% of the stock.

Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the ten analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $307.22.

Several brokerages have recently commented on LECO. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 20th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Lincoln Electric from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $257.00 to $283.00 in a report on Monday, August 10th. DA Davidson initiated coverage on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Lincoln Electric from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Monday, August 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $340.00 price objective on the stock.

Lincoln Electric Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of LECO opened at $258.78 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market cap of $14.11 billion, a PE ratio of 25.85, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.21. Lincoln Electric has a 1 year low of $216.22 and a 1 year high of $310.00. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $272.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $263.69.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.12. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.23% and a net margin of 12.35%.The business had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.60 EPS. Lincoln Electric's quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Lincoln Electric will post 11.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Lincoln Electric's dividend payout ratio is 31.57%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln Electric

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LECO. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric during the second quarter worth $26,000. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. State of Wyoming bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the second quarter valued at about $69,000. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in Lincoln Electric by 118.8% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 350 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $87,000 after buying an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in Lincoln Electric by 9.4% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 606 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $151,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.61% of the company's stock.

Lincoln Electric Company Profile

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc is a Cleveland, Ohio-based manufacturer of welding, cutting and industrial automation products. The company serves manufacturers, fabricators, construction companies, maintenance and repair operations, utilities, and other industrial customers.

Its product portfolio includes arc-welding equipment, welding consumables such as electrodes and welding wire, plasma-cutting systems, welding accessories, and related safety products. Lincoln Electric also provides automated and robotic welding systems, engineered solutions, training, and technical support.

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