Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Lincoln Electric a consensus rating of "Hold" from nine firms (1 sell / 4 hold / 4 buy) with an average 12‑month price target of $291.14.
• Lincoln Electric beat EPS expectations ($2.65 vs. $2.53) while revenue of $1.08B slightly missed consensus; revenue rose 5.5% year‑over‑year and the company reported a 12.3% net margin and 39.35% ROE.
• The company pays a $0.79 quarterly dividend ($3.16 annualized, 1.3% yield), and trades with a market cap of $13.84B, a P/E of 27.09, and a 52‑week range of $169.69–$310.00.

Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Hold" by the nine research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $291.1429.

Several research firms have recently commented on LECO. Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating and set a $297.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. KeyCorp increased their target price on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird set a $330.00 target price on Lincoln Electric in a report on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $280.00 target price (down from $350.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Lincoln Electric from $300.00 to $264.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th.

Lincoln Electric Price Performance

Lincoln Electric stock opened at $252.48 on Friday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $268.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $251.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.82. Lincoln Electric has a 1 year low of $169.69 and a 1 year high of $310.00. The company has a market capitalization of $13.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.28.

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

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. Lincoln Electric's dividend payout ratio is presently 33.91%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln Electric

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LECO. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 4.1% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,850,816 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $436,478,000 after purchasing an additional 72,826 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Lincoln Electric in the 4th quarter valued at about $415,155,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,306,641 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $313,175,000 after buying an additional 6,070 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,280,116 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $306,767,000 after buying an additional 158,305 shares during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp grew its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 5,862.4% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,271,364 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $304,670,000 after buying an additional 1,250,041 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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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