Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $302.8333.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LECO. Wall Street Zen downgraded Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $297.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $240.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Electric and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th.

Lincoln Electric Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of LECO opened at $248.00 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. Lincoln Electric has a 12 month low of $161.11 and a 12 month high of $310.00. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $272.07 and its 200-day moving average is $250.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.60 billion, a PE ratio of 26.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.24.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.09 billion. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.35% and a net margin of 12.30%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.57 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Lincoln Electric will post 9.36 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.91%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln Electric

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the 4th quarter valued at $415,155,000. M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 5,862.4% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,271,364 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $304,670,000 after buying an additional 1,250,041 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric during the 2nd quarter worth $141,550,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter valued at about $146,135,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Lincoln Electric by 439.8% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 596,617 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $123,691,000 after acquiring an additional 486,090 shares during the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is currently owned by 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.