Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the five analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $206.40.

A number of brokerages recently commented on LECO. Wall Street Zen raised Lincoln Electric from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. KeyCorp decreased their target price on Lincoln Electric from $245.00 to $225.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Lincoln Electric from $178.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Lincoln Electric from $242.00 to $212.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $179.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

NASDAQ LECO opened at $201.20 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $191.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $193.58. The firm has a market cap of $11.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.81, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 1.19. Lincoln Electric has a 1 year low of $161.11 and a 1 year high of $222.52.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.22 by ($0.06). Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.44% and a net margin of 11.44%. The firm had revenue of $365.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $974.39 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.23 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Lincoln Electric will post 9.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.49%. Lincoln Electric's payout ratio is 36.99%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln Electric

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LECO. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in Lincoln Electric by 255.1% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 174 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in Lincoln Electric by 980.8% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 281 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 279.6% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 353 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter worth $68,000. 79.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lincoln Electric Company Profile

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and sells welding, cutting, and brazing products worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Americas Welding, International Welding, and The Harris Products Group. It offers brazing and soldering filler metals, arc welding equipment, plasma and oxyfuel cutting systems, wire feeding systems, fume control equipment, welding accessories, and specialty gas regulators, and education solutions, as well as a portfolio of automated solutions for joining, cutting, material handling, module assembly, and end of line testing, as well as involved in brazing and soldering alloys, and in the retail business in the United States.

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