Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) Given New $180.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $179.00 to $180.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "underweight" rating on the industrial products company's stock. Morgan Stanley's price target indicates a potential downside of 0.75% from the company's current price.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on the company. StockNews.com raised Lincoln Electric from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. KeyCorp reduced their target price on shares of Lincoln Electric from $245.00 to $225.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Lincoln Electric from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $178.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Lincoln Electric from $242.00 to $212.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $216.17.

Lincoln Electric Trading Down 0.8 %

LECO traded down $1.42 on Tuesday, hitting $181.36. 56,169 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 328,153. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.87. Lincoln Electric has a 12 month low of $161.11 and a 12 month high of $238.47. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $186.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $195.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.12 billion, a PE ratio of 22.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.18.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.22 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $365.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $974.39 million. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 40.19% and a net margin of 11.63%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.23 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Lincoln Electric will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Steven B. Hedlund sold 21,054 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total value of $4,536,505.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 54,660 shares in the company, valued at $11,777,590.20. The trade was a 27.81 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 2.63% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in Lincoln Electric by 255.1% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 174 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 54.1% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 299 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric during the 4th quarter valued at about $68,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 37.5% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 389 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $73,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. 79.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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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