Lincoln Electric (LECO)
Industrials · industrial machinery / welding equipment · NASDAQ
Lincoln Electric is a premier global provider of advanced arc welding, robotic automation, and cutting solutions for the industrial manufacturing sector.
What Lincoln Electric does
Lincoln Electric is a global leader in the design, development, and manufacture of arc welding products, automated joining, assembly, and cutting solutions. The company provides a comprehensive portfolio including welding power sources, wire feeding systems, robotic welding systems, and specialized cutting equipment for industrial applications.
Themes: industrial automation, manufacturing efficiency, welding technology, robotics
Fundamentals
- Price$258.78 as of 2026-10-08 close
- Market cap$14.1B as of 2026-06-30 (share count; price 2026-10-08)
- 1-year return+7.0% 2025-10-08 close $241.95 → 2026-10-08 close $258.78
- P/E25.87 as of 2026-10-08
- Net margin+12.3% FY2025, SEC XBRL
- Gross margin+36.2% FY2025, SEC XBRL
- ROE+35.4% FY2025, SEC XBRL
- Debt / equity0.74 as of 2026-09-02
- Revenue growth (YoY)+9.3% as of 2026-09-02
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+4.0% SEC XBRL
- Beta1.09 as of 2026-09-02
- Last reported earnings2026-07-30 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
Dividend: yield +1.2%; at least 17 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC XBRL) — a stock split inside this window left the earlier years on a different per-share basis, so the real streak may be longer.
How LECO compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiomiddle range 349 covered Industrials peers, as of 2026-10-08
- net profit margintop 25% 417 covered Industrials peers, as of 2026-09-02
- operating margintop 25% 392 covered Industrials peers, as of 2026-09-02
- gross marginmiddle range 253 covered Industrials peers, as of 2026-09-02
- return on equitytop 10% 432 covered Industrials peers, as of 2026-09-02
- 3-year revenue CAGRmiddle range 428 covered Industrials peers
- indicated dividend yieldmiddle range 271 covered Industrials peers, as of 2026-09-02
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)top 25% 417 covered Industrials peers, as of FY2025
Position among covered Industrials companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Top 10 scores & list membership
LECO is not currently in any published Top 10 list. Its scores are below.
Top 10 score
57.5 #330 of 1,379 scored · #42 of 238 in Industrials
Capital return 84th (consecutive years of dividend increases 17 years, net share count bought back over the year 2.3) and profitability 78th (return on equity 35.4%, operating margin 17%); weakest is valuation (36th, price to book 9.1, price to earnings 25.9).
Scores as of 8 Oct 2026. Each bar is a percentile: how this company ranked against every company the score ranked, 0–100. A list is a published formula and its output, not a recommendation. Method version 4.
Dividend coverage (FY2025)
Covered by reported results. In FY2025, LECO's dividend was covered by reported results (earnings payout 32%, free-cash-flow payout 31%). This describes past coverage, not a forecast.
- Earnings payout32% dividends / net income
- Free-cash-flow payout31% dividends / (operating cash flow − capex)
Coverage derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures for FY2025 (dividends paid vs. net income and free cash flow, same fiscal year). This describes PAST coverage for one fiscal year — it does not predict whether a dividend will be maintained, raised, or cut, and a one-year payout ratio can be distorted by non-recurring items. Informational only — not financial advice.
How Lincoln Electric looks technically
Lincoln Electric (LECO) is trading 2.1% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend. Its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 316 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. There is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 18, below the 25 that marks a real trend), though sellers have been pushing harder than buyers lately — pressure, not a trend. Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 41, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). It made a new 20-day low about 21 trading days ago. It is 16.5% below its highest point of the past year.
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 2.1% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend | -2.1% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $271.96 | $271.96 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $264.35 | $264.35 |
| Swing structure | each recent peak has been higher than the one before it and each dip has been shallower — the pattern chart-watchers call an uptrend, which describes where price has already been and not where it goes next | higher highs and higher lows |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing low 24 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 24 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a five-part upward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 3 of five; the labelling fails if price closes below 243.62. It is one of several labellings that fit, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. The same swings also read as a three-part correction in leg C. | possible upward five-wave sequence, in wave 3 (one of several readings) |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 316 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 316 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | there is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 18, below the 25 that marks a real trend), though sellers have been pushing harder than buyers lately — pressure, not a trend | 17.5 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 41, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 41.1 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading near the bottom of its 14-day range ($255.51 to $279.23) — its "stochastic" reading is 14 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been slipping within that range over the last few sessions. | 13.8 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, is in positive territory (momentum leaning bullish) | 11 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $310.00 | $310.00 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 16.5% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -16.5% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 19.7% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +19.7% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 16.5% below its highest point of the past year | 16.5% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day low about 21 trading days ago | 21 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day high about 31 trading days ago | 31 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $310.00 (set on 2026-02-12) | $310.00 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($220.64 to $298.88), and it has given back around half of its rise from last year’s low — 51% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $248.02 to $250.53. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 51.3% |
| From the all-time high | it is 16.5% below its all-time high | -16.5% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 2.8% above a support level at $251.42 — a price it turned at 7 times since 2025-08-27, most recently on 2026-06-01. Since 2024-10-08 it has 10 such levels below the current price and 4 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | -2.8% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $13.16 (set on 2009-03-09) | $13.16 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 1866.4% above its all-time low | +1,866% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are about average versus its own recent 6-month history | 60th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $7.66 between its high and its low — about 3.0% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $7.66 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $248.43 and $279.08 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $248.43 – $263.75 – $279.08 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 3.0% in a typical session — calmer than most companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 3.0% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 0.7 daily ranges below its 200-day average price (2.1% below it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 0.7 daily ranges below its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 0.87× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts' average price target is unchanged from the prior reading | 0.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | the analyst consensus rating is unchanged since the prior reading | unchanged |
Candlestick patterns
2
| Since a doji | 3 sessions ago it opened and closed at almost the same price after trading through a wider range — a "doji", the classic picture of buyers and sellers finishing the session level | 3 sessions ago |
|---|---|---|
| Since a bullish engulfing | 3 sessions ago it opened below the previous session's close and finished above that session's open — a "bullish engulfing" pair, where one up day more than undid the down day before it | 3 sessions ago |
Price gaps
2
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-10-08 0.8% below the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and had not traded back through that level by the close | -0.8% |
|---|---|---|
| Gap filled | a 2.1% gap up opened on 2026-10-02 has been "filled" 1 session ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it took 3 sessions to close | 1 session ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it has closed lower 2 sessions in a row, a -6.08% move over the run — an unbroken run of down days, which describes what has already happened and says nothing about the next session | 2 sessions down |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock lagged the market by 7.6 percentage points (the stock lost 6.6% while the market gained 1.0%) | -7.6% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock beat the market by 0.6 percentage points (the stock gained 4.5% while the market gained 3.8%) | +0.7% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock lagged the market by 8.7 percentage points (the stock gained 8.7% while the market gained 17.5%) | -8.7% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock lagged the market by 8.0 percentage points (the stock gained 7.0% while the market gained 15.0%) | -8.0% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 3 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, MACD momentum is positive, near the bottom of its 14-day range (oversold) — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 3 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 3 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: trading below its 200-day average, lagging the market over 6 months, trading below the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 3 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 3.4% below the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-09-01 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established downtrend, with the band above acting as the level that would have to be cleared. The band itself is moderate, spanning 2.4% of the share price. | -3.4% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 3% below the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $266.83 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 190 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -3.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 5% below the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-07-30 (its 10-Q), so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $271.18 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 50 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -4.6% |
Price levels it has turned at before
LECO last closed at $258.78 on 2026-10-08. Since 2024-10-08 it has turned at 10 prices below its last close and 4 above; the 3 nearest below and the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $251.42 | Support | 2.8% below the last close | turned there 7 times · 2025-08-27 to 2026-06-01 |
| $266.23 | Resistance | 2.9% above the last close | turned there three times · 2026-01-15 to 2026-05-27 |
| $272.75 | Resistance | 5.4% above the last close | turned there twice · 2026-02-12 to 2026-08-21 |
| $244.09 | Support | 5.7% below the last close | turned there 8 times · 2025-08-05 to 2026-09-14 |
| $278.39 | Resistance | 7.6% above the last close | turned there twice · 2026-05-06 to 2026-06-17 |
| $237.56 | Support | 8.2% below the last close | turned there four times · 2025-09-02 to 2026-04-07 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a five-part upward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now in leg 3 of five.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes below $243.62.
This is one of several labellings that fit the same swings, so treat it as a reading rather than the reading. It was chosen from 2 labellings that survived the rules, counting shorter readings of the same bars.
On past moves of this shape the leg has usually ended somewhere between $293.13 and $323.73 — that is where it has tended to end if the count holds, not a forecast of where the price goes.
Alternate reading: The same swings also read as a three-part correction in leg C, which fails on a close below $243.62.
This reading has stood for 14 trading days, since 2026-09-21.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-10-08.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading below the 200-day moving average · trendless / choppy (low ADX) · lagging the market · At the bottom of its 14-day range (stochastic below 20) · Under water since its last earnings report (below the anchored VWAP) · Trading below the Ichimoku cloud | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · breakout · fifty two week high low
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-10-08. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Consensus ratingBuy (2.00 mean, 1=Strong Buy…5=Strong Sell) — 11 analysts
- Mean price target$304.91 range $238.00 – $340.00; median $320.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-10-03. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for LECO
- Consensus EPS estimate$2.82 next reporting period, as of 2026-10-03
- Estimate change, 30 days-$0.00012 (-0.0%) from $2.82, on 2026-08-29, 35-day window
- Readings revised upward13% of 8 comparable readings
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Volatility in raw material costs, particularly steel and copper.","Risks associated with global supply chain dependencies and international manufacturing operations.","Cyclical demand from industrial end-markets that can affect sales volume and profitability."]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of LECO's 10-Q filed 2026-04-30 against the prior one filed 2025-10-30.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Newer filing describes company as 'a high-performance industrial machinery and technology leader' (2026-04-30)
- Newer filing lists specific solutions including 'additive manufacturing, precision fabrication, wear services, upfitting, and training' (2026-04-30)
- Newer filing notes Harris Products Group includes 'specialty gas equipment' explicitly in segment description (2026-04-30)
- Newer filing includes footnote attributing International Welding volume decrease to 'lower project volumes within the Automation product line and the Middle East conflict' (2026-04-30)
- Newer filing compares three months ended March 31, 2026 vs. 2025 periods (2026-04-30)
- Older filing includes discussion of U.S. government tariffs announced in 2025 and retaliatory actions by trading partners (2025-10-30)
- Removed:
- Older filing described company as 'the world's largest designer and manufacturer of arc welding and cutting products' (2025-10-30)
- Older filing detailed product distribution channels: 'principally through industrial distributors, retailers and also directly to users' and international sales organization composition (2025-10-30)
- Older filing included discussion of tariff impacts and company responses related to 2025 U.S. government trade policies (2025-10-30)
- Older filing compared nine months ended September 30, 2025 vs. 2024 periods (2025-10-30)
- Older filing described Harris Products Group as including 'global oxy-fuel cutting, soldering and brazing businesses' (2025-10-30)
- Reworded:
- Company description changed from 'world's largest designer and manufacturer' to 'high-performance industrial machinery and technology leader' (2026-04-30 vs 2025-10-30)
- Gross profit margin decreased from 36.4% (Q3 2025) to 35.6% (Q1 2026 three-month period)
- Rationalization charges decreased from $3,865 thousand to $2,163 thousand in comparable quarterly periods
- Effective tax rate decreased from 22.7% to 21.3% in comparable quarterly periods
- Operating income percentage remained consistent at 16.6% and 16.4% respectively but drivers differed
- Notes:
- The two filings cover different fiscal periods (Q1 2026 vs. Q3 2025), limiting direct operational comparisons
- Older filing contained nine-month period data not present in newer filing excerpt
- Tariff discussion appears removed but may reflect different reporting periods rather than changed company circumstances
- Product descriptions differ in emphasis and organization but appear to cover largely the same portfolio
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
No open-market insider purchases or sales recorded in the last 90 days, of which we have read Form 4 filings through 2026-10-04. The 5 days since 2026-10-04 have not been checked yet.
- Last 180 days · read to 2026-10-040 buys · 1 sell ($232214) — 1 selling insider
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-06-16. Based on Form 4 filings read through 2026-10-04; anything filed since is not yet included.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about LECO's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
U.S. House trading disclosures
U.S. House members publicly disclose their own, their spouse's, and dependent children's stock transactions under the STOCK Act. We hold 2 matched disclosures for LECO from U.S. House Clerk Periodic Transaction Report filings.
U.S. House trading disclosures →Institutional ownership (13F)
7 institutional 13F filers reported holding LECO as of 2026-06-30 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 7
- Reported shares held 8,507,312
- Reported value $2,260,529,212
reported quarterly holdings change (2026-03-31 → 2026-06-30): 0 new, 4 increased, 3 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Ask about LECO's institutional holders → See what each manager we track holds →
Short interest (FINRA)
LECO had 1,085,021 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-09-15 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
LECO had 1.99% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-09-15 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 2.59 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 1,085,021
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 1.99%
- Prior settlement (shares) 1,457,724
- Reported change -25.57%
- Days to cover (reported) 2.59
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-09-15 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
- Colfax (now ESAB Corporation) (ESAB)
- Air Liquide (AIQUY)
- Kobe Steel (KBSTY)
- ITW Welding
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
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Frequently asked questions
What does Lincoln Electric (LECO) do?
Lincoln Electric is a global leader in the design, development, and manufacture of arc welding products, automated joining, assembly, and cutting solutions. The company provides a comprehensive portfolio including welding power sources, wire feeding systems, robotic welding systems, and specialized cutting equipment for industrial applications.
What sector is Lincoln Electric (LECO) in?
Lincoln Electric (LECO) is classified in the Industrials sector. Its industry is industrial machinery / welding equipment. It trades on NASDAQ.
Does LECO pay a dividend?
Yes — Lincoln Electric (LECO) pays a dividend, with an indicated yield of about 1.23% and at least 17 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC EDGAR XBRL) — a stock split inside this window left the earlier years on a different per-share basis, so the real streak may be longer (market data, as of 2026-09-02). Informational only — not financial advice.
Who are Lincoln Electric's (LECO) competitors?
Notable peers of Lincoln Electric (LECO) include Illinois Tool Works, Colfax (now ESAB Corporation), Air Liquide, Kobe Steel and ITW Welding. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Has there been recent U.S. House stock trading in LECO?
Yes — we hold 2 matched STOCK Act disclosures for LECO from U.S. House Clerk Periodic Transaction Report filings. These are legally-required disclosures (often filed 30–45 days after the trade), may belong to a U.S. House member, their spouse, or a dependent child, and are not an indicator of company performance or investment advice.
Is Lincoln Electric (LECO) overbought or oversold right now?
Lincoln Electric (LECO) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 41, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-10-08). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on LECO come from?
Fundamentals come from SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-02 for the rest; prices are market data, as of 2026-09-02; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: SEC XBRL company filings for the figures marked with a fiscal year, and market data, as of 2026-09-02 for the rest. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-10-08.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.