Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $319.11 According to Analysts

Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $319.11.

Several equities analysts have commented on LECO shares. UBS Group increased their target price on Lincoln Electric from $340.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. DA Davidson set a $340.00 price target on Lincoln Electric in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $283.00 to $293.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $271.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th.

Insider Transactions at Lincoln Electric

In other news, CEO Steven B. Hedlund sold 14,371 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.95, for a total transaction of $4,051,903.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 63,483 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,899,031.85. This trade represents a 18.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 194.1% in the third quarter. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Latitude Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric during the third quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric during the third quarter worth about $34,000. 79.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

NASDAQ LECO opened at $284.44 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $267.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $266.60. The stock has a market cap of $15.41 billion, a PE ratio of 27.27, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 1.18 and a current ratio of 1.91. Lincoln Electric has a fifty-two week low of $216.22 and a fifty-two week high of $310.00.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The industrial products company reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.17. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 40.06% and a net margin of 12.40%. The company had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.47 EPS. Lincoln Electric’s revenue was up 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Lincoln Electric will post 11.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 31st will be given a $0.87 dividend. This is an increase from Lincoln Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 31st. This represents a $3.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.30%.

Lincoln Electric Company Profile

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc is a manufacturer of welding, cutting and automation products. Its offerings include arc-welding equipment and consumables, plasma and oxyfuel cutting systems, robotic welding solutions and related automation technologies, as well as brazing and soldering products.

Founded in 1895 by John C. Lincoln, the company serves customers across a range of industries, including manufacturing, infrastructure, energy and transportation. Its products and services are sold in markets around the world through its international operations and distribution network.

Lincoln Electric is headquartered in the Cleveland, Ohio, area.