ESAB (NYSE:ESAB) Shares Gap Up – Here’s What Happened

ESAB Corporation (NYSE:ESAB) gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $113.43, but opened at $119.58. ESAB shares last traded at $118.77, with a volume of 10,291 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ESAB has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on ESAB from $141.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of ESAB in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded ESAB from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, December 28th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of ESAB from $147.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of ESAB from $138.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.50.

ESAB Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $7.28 billion, a PE ratio of 30.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $112.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $116.73.

ESAB (NYSE:ESAB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $727.85 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $663.57 million. ESAB had a net margin of 8.70% and a return on equity of 15.93%. The company’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.25 EPS. ESAB has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.200-5.30 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that ESAB Corporation will post 5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ESAB Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. ESAB’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.08%.

Institutional Trading of ESAB

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of ESAB. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in ESAB during the third quarter worth $30,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of ESAB by 109.4% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 333 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of ESAB during the 2nd quarter valued at about $59,000. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new position in shares of ESAB in the 3rd quarter valued at about $58,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of ESAB by 60.4% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 669 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.13% of the company’s stock.

ESAB Company Profile

ESAB Corporation is a global leader in welding, cutting and gas control technologies, offering a comprehensive portfolio of equipment, consumables and automation solutions. The company’s products include welding power sources, cutting machines, torches, electrodes, filler metals and gas regulating equipment designed to meet the needs of diverse industries. ESAB serves sectors such as construction, shipbuilding, automotive, energy, infrastructure and manufacturing, providing both standard and customized solutions to enhance productivity and quality in metal fabrication and processing.

Founded in 1904 by Swedish inventor Oscar Kjellberg, ESAB pioneered the development of coated welding electrodes, laying the groundwork for modern welding practices.