Brokerages Set Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) PT at $244.83

Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $244.8333.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $265.00 to $252.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Barclays boosted their target price on Lincoln Electric from $235.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln Electric

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln Electric in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3,700.0% during the 3rd quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 114 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln Electric in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in Lincoln Electric by 82.4% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 155 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its stake in Lincoln Electric by 3,860.0% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 198 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lincoln Electric Price Performance

Shares of Lincoln Electric stock opened at $252.34 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.02, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.26. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $238.42 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $235.14. Lincoln Electric has a 12 month low of $161.11 and a 12 month high of $255.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.08. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 40.33% and a net margin of 12.56%.The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.05 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.14 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Lincoln Electric will post 9.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This is a boost from Lincoln Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio is 33.83%.

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.