Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) Reaches New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $255.06 and last traded at $251.36, with a volume of 6434 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $251.00.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LECO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Roth Capital set a $285.00 target price on Lincoln Electric and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Lincoln Electric from $265.00 to $252.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln Electric presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $244.83.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.84 billion, a PE ratio of 26.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.26. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $238.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $234.83.

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

Lincoln Electric Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Panagora Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $240,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Kera Capital Partners Inc. raised 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 lifted its stake in Lincoln Electric by 3.8% in 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. grew its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,752 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $363,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership increased its position in Lincoln Electric by 8.7% during the 2nd quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 601 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $125,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

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.