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

Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $302.8333.

Several research firms recently weighed in on LECO. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Lincoln Electric from $253.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Barclays lifted their price target on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

LECO opened at $287.42 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $264.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $247.05. Lincoln Electric has a 52-week low of $161.11 and a 52-week high of $310.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.82 billion, a PE ratio of 30.84, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.26.

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

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. 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 (DPR) is currently 33.91%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln Electric

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of LECO. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 8.6% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,477 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $468,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 553.4% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,137 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $215,000 after buying an additional 963 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 8.9% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 362,561 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $68,582,000 after buying an additional 29,505 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in Lincoln Electric by 8.7% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 137,540 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,017,000 after buying an additional 10,961 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Lincoln Electric by 980.8% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 281 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares during the period. 79.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.