Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) Price Target Raised to $253.00 at Stifel Nicolaus

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) had its target price upped by Stifel Nicolaus from $252.00 to $253.00 in a research report report published on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have a hold rating on the industrial products company’s stock.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on LECO. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $209.00 to $208.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Zacks Research downgraded Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Wall Street Zen cut Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Roth Mkm set a $285.00 price target on Lincoln Electric and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.00.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

Shares of Lincoln Electric stock opened at $258.64 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. Lincoln Electric has a 52 week low of $161.11 and a 52 week high of $264.87. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $244.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $238.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.26.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln Electric

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LECO. Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Lincoln Electric by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,156 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $240,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Kera Capital Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 2.8% in the third quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,692 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $399,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Profund Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3.8% during the third quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 1,264 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $298,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 2.8% during the second quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,752 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $363,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership raised its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 8.7% during the second quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 601 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $125,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lincoln Electric Company Profile

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.