Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) Earns Hold Rating from Jefferies Financial Group

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO)‘s stock had its “hold” rating reaffirmed by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $280.00 price objective on the industrial products company’s stock, down from their prior price objective of $350.00. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price points to a potential upside of 12.11% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on LECO. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $297.00 price objective (up from $285.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $240.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $296.29.

Lincoln Electric Price Performance

Lincoln Electric stock opened at $249.76 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $271.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $250.63. 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 $161.11 and a 1 year high of $310.00. The company has a market capitalization of $13.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.28.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) 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. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 39.35%. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lincoln Electric will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln Electric

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LECO. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,020,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 239.5% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 184,191 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $43,438,000 after purchasing an additional 129,932 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 18.9% during the third quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 34,628 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,166,000 after purchasing an additional 5,512 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. increased its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 13.0% during the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 86,305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $20,353,000 after purchasing an additional 9,897 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 58,843 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $13,877,000 after purchasing an additional 4,898 shares during the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.