Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the nine research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $299.00.

A number of equities analysts have commented on LECO shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $280.00 price objective (down from $350.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. DA Davidson initiated coverage on Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen cut Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, May 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Friday, May 1st.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lincoln Electric news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of Lincoln Electric stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.81, for a total value of $232,214.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,560,954.39. The trade was a 8.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln Electric

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln Electric during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter worth $46,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln Electric during the fourth quarter worth $64,000. United Community Bank acquired a new position in Lincoln Electric during the fourth quarter worth $65,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in 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 purchasing an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lincoln Electric Price Performance

Shares of LECO stock opened at $265.51 on Wednesday. Lincoln Electric has a 12 month low of $205.36 and a 12 month high of $310.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $264.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $262.38. The company has a market capitalization of $14.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.21.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.42 by $0.08. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.38% and a return on equity of 39.33%. The firm had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Lincoln Electric will post 10.82 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

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

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.