Barclays Has Lowered Expectations for Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) Stock Price

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) had its price objective dropped by Barclays from $310.00 to $280.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Barclays‘s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 14.91% from the company’s current price.

Several other brokerages have also commented on LECO. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Lincoln Electric from $240.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $280.00 price objective (down from $350.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted 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. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $296.29.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

Shares of Lincoln Electric stock opened at $243.67 on Wednesday. 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $271.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $250.59. The firm has a market cap of $13.36 billion, a PE ratio of 26.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.28.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business 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 firm earned $2.57 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Lincoln Electric will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln Electric

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of LECO. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in Lincoln Electric by 553.4% during the 1st 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 during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 362,561 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $68,582,000 after buying an additional 29,505 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 8.7% in the 1st 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 acquiring an additional 10,961 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 980.8% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 281 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Lincoln Electric

Here are the key news stories impacting Lincoln Electric this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple near‑term and multi‑year EPS forecasts for Lincoln Electric (several quarter raises and FY2027 → $11.39, FY2028 → $11.84), which supports a higher earnings trajectory and is a constructive fundamental signal.
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley published bullish research forecasting strong price appreciation for LECO, reinforcing demand from some institutional investors. Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Lincoln Electric (Article)
• Neutral Sentiment: Lincoln Electric scheduled its Q1 2026 earnings webcast for April 30 (10:00 AM ET) — a date investors will watch for updated guidance and commentary that could move the stock. Lincoln Electric Schedules Webcast for First Quarter 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Jefferies downgraded LECO to a Hold, which can trigger selling from investors who follow that house view. Jefferies downgrades Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO)
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays cut its price target from $310 to $280 (still an overweight rating). The lower target reduces near‑term upside implied by that broker and may weigh on sentiment despite the maintained positive rating. Barclays Lowers Price Target for Lincoln Electric

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.