Brokerages Set Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) Target Price at $253.00

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $255.00.

A number of research firms have weighed in on LECO. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $209.00 to $208.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 12th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Lincoln Electric from $252.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Lincoln Electric from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd.

Lincoln Electric Trading Up 1.3%

Lincoln Electric stock opened at $271.22 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $249.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $240.69. 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 12 month low of $161.11 and a 12 month high of $272.65. The stock has a market cap of $14.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.26.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln Electric

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Lincoln Electric by 4.1% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,850,816 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $436,478,000 after acquiring an additional 72,826 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the 2nd quarter worth about $354,063,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,558,783 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $323,167,000 after purchasing an additional 83,035 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp increased its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 5,862.4% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,271,364 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $304,670,000 after purchasing an additional 1,250,041 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 31.8% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 919,926 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $216,946,000 after purchasing an additional 221,853 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.