Sifting through countless of stocks in the Machinery industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. or ESAB Corporation because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. and ESAB Corporation compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. and ESAB Corporation

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and sells welding, cutting, and brazing products in the United States and internationally. It operates in three segments: Americas Welding, International Welding, and The Harris Products Group. The company offers brazing and soldering filler metals, arc welding equipment, plasma and oxyfuel cutting systems, wire feeding systems, fume control equipment, welding accessories, specialty gas regulators, and education solutions; and a portfolio of automated solutions for joining, cutting, material handling, module assembly, and end of line testing, as well as involved in brazing and soldering alloys, and in the retail business. It also provides mobile power solutions, including vehicle-mounted compressors, generators, welders, hydraulics, charger/boosters, and electrified power equipment; automated welding system and solutions; automated material handling solutions; and specialty welding consumables, wear plates, and maintenance and repair services for alloy and wear-resistant products, as well as develops and integrates autonomous guided vehicles and mobile robots, custom assembly and test systems, and proprietary manufacturing execution system software. The company serves general fabrication, oil and gas, power generation, process, automotive and transportation, and construction and infrastructure industries, as well as heavy fabrication, ship building, and maintenance and repair markets. It sells its products directly to users of welding products, including OEMs, manufacturers, and integrators, as well as through industrial distributors, retailers, and agents. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1895 and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.

ESAB Corporation engages in the formulation, development, manufacture, and supply of consumable products and equipment for use in cutting, joining, automated welding, and gas control equipment. Its comprehensive range of welding consumables includes electrodes, cored and solid wires, and fluxes using a range of specialty and other materials; and cutting consumables comprising electrodes, nozzles, shields, and tips. The company’s equipment ranges from portable welding machines to large customized automated cutting and welding systems. It also offers a range of software and digital solutions to help its customers increase their productivity, remotely monitor their welding operations, and digitize their documentation. In addition, it produces and supplies wire, strip, and welding powder. The company sells its products under the ESAB brand to various end markets, such as general industry, infrastructure, renewable energy, medical and life sciences, transportation, construction, and energy. It offers its products through independent distributors and direct salespeople. It operates in North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, India, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. ESAB Corporation was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in North Bethesda, Maryland.

Latest Machinery and Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc., ESAB Corporation Stock News

As of January 21, 2026, Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. had a $14.3 billion market capitalization, compared to the Machinery median of $3.5 million. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc.’s stock is up 9.5% in 2026, up 2.4% in the previous five trading days and up 33.38% in the past year.

Currently, Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 27.8. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $4.2 billion with a 12.6% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 7.9%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $9.741 per share for the current fiscal year. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. currently has a 1.2% dividend yield.

As of January 21, 2026, ESAB Corporation had a $7.3 billion market cap, putting it in the 73rd percentile of all stocks. ESAB Corporation’s stock is up 8.1% in 2026, up 0.5% in the previous five trading days and down 3.24% in the past year.

Currently, ESAB Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 26.8. ESAB Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $2.8 billion with a 8.7% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 8.1%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $5.287 per share for the current fiscal year. ESAB Corporation currently has a 0.3% dividend yield.

How We Compare Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. and ESAB Corporation Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. and ESAB Corporation’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. and ESAB Corporation Stock Value Grades

Company	Ticker	Value
Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc.	LECO	D
ESAB Corporation	ESAB	D

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a Value Score of 28, which is Expensive. ESAB Corporation has a Value Score of 30, which is Expensive.

The Value Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. or ESAB Corporation has a high enough value grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolio. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. or ESAB Corporation is the better investment when it comes to value.

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. and ESAB Corporation’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc.	LECO	A
ESAB Corporation	ESAB	C

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a Quality Score of 97, which is Very Strong. ESAB Corporation has a Quality Score of 60, which is Average.

The Quality Grade Winner: Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Quality Grade breakdown above, Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a better overall quality grade than ESAB Corporation. For investors who are looking for companies with higher quality than others in the same industry, Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolios. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. and ESAB Corporation’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc.	LECO	B
ESAB Corporation	ESAB	C

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 61, which is Positive. ESAB Corporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 43, which is Neutral.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than ESAB Corporation. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. and ESAB Corporation Grades

In addition to Estimate Revisions, Value and Quality, A+ Investor also provides grades for Growth and Momentum.

Momentum grades help uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming.

Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. and ESAB Corporation pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. or ESAB Corporation Stock?

Overall, Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 28, Estimate Revisions Score of 61 and Quality Score of 97.

ESAB Corporation stock has a Value Score of 30, Estimate Revisions Score of 43 and Quality Score of 60.

Comparing Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. and ESAB Corporation’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.