Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $296.00.

LECO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. 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, March 31st. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Robert W. Baird set a $330.00 price objective on Lincoln Electric in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen cut Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, May 17th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

Shares of Lincoln Electric stock opened at $262.13 on Friday. Lincoln Electric has a 52 week low of $199.13 and a 52 week high of $310.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $258.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $258.43. The company has a market capitalization of $14.36 billion, a PE ratio of 27.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.21.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.42 by $0.08. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.33% and a net margin of 12.38%.The business had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Lincoln Electric will post 10.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.61%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LECO. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 8.6% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,477 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $468,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake 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 worth $215,000 after purchasing an additional 963 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised 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 worth $68,582,000 after purchasing an additional 29,505 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 8.7% in 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 purchasing an additional 10,961 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 980.8% during the first 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 currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.