Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $302.8333.

LECO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Roth Mkm reiterated 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. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $253.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley set a $240.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln Electric

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Lincoln Electric in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC raised 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 valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 82.4% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 155 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

Shares of Lincoln Electric stock opened at $287.42 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $264.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $247.05. Lincoln Electric has a fifty-two week low of $161.11 and a fifty-two week high of $310.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.82 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The firm has a market cap of $15.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.26.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last released 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 company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.09 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Lincoln Electric will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.91%.

About Lincoln Electric

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.