Stifel Nicolaus Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for ESAB (NYSE:ESAB) Stock

ESAB (NYSE:ESAB) had its price objective upped by Stifel Nicolaus from $143.00 to $144.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 19.77% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group boosted their price objective on ESAB from $147.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on ESAB from $140.00 to $138.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of ESAB in a report on Monday, December 29th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $148.00 target price (up previously from $142.00) on shares of ESAB in a report on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of ESAB from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 28th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $142.13.

ESAB Stock Performance

ESAB traded up $0.33 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $120.23. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,940 shares, compared to its average volume of 314,321. The company’s 50-day moving average is $113.75 and its 200-day moving average is $116.64. ESAB has a 52 week low of $100.17 and a 52 week high of $135.84. The firm has a market cap of $7.30 billion, a PE ratio of 30.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.24 and a current ratio of 1.99.

ESAB (NYSE:ESAB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $727.85 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.25 earnings per share. ESAB has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.200-5.30 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that ESAB will post 5.16 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of ESAB

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in ESAB by 3.1% during the second quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 2,693 shares of the company’s stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in shares of ESAB by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 13,417 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,617,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its position in shares of ESAB by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 16,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,929,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System boosted its stake in ESAB by 0.7% in the second quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 13,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,652,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. raised its stake in ESAB by 1.6% during the third quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 6,488 shares of the company’s stock worth $725,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.13% of the company’s stock.

About ESAB

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.