Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $244.8333.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on LECO shares. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Lincoln Electric from $265.00 to $252.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Zacks Research cut Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Roth Capital set a $285.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Electric and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $235.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LECO. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the third quarter worth $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 3,700.0% in the 3rd 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 period. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Lincoln Electric in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 82.4% during the 2nd 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 period. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3,860.0% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 198 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lincoln Electric Price Performance

Shares of LECO opened at $251.71 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.71. The firm has a market cap of $13.85 billion, a PE ratio of 26.95, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.26. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $237.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $234.64. Lincoln Electric has a twelve month low of $161.11 and a twelve month high of $252.00.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.39 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.05 billion. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.56% and a return on equity of 40.33%. Lincoln Electric’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.14 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Lincoln Electric will post 9.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. This is a boost from Lincoln Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Lincoln Electric’s payout ratio is presently 33.83%.

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.