In This Article:
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Revenue: Increased approximately 2.4% to $1.4 billion.
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Adjusted Operating Income Margin: Declined by 60 basis points to 16.9%.
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Adjusted Earnings Per Share (EPS): $2.16, with a $0.05 headwind from Turkey and unfavorable foreign exchange.
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Return on Invested Capital (ROIC): 21.5%.
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Cash Flow from Operations: Record $186 million, with a 130% cash conversion ratio.
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Shareholder Returns: $150 million returned through dividends and share repurchases.
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Gross Profit Margin: Declined 110 basis points to 36.4%.
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SG&A Expense: Decreased 1%, improving to 19.5% of sales.
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America's Welding Segment Sales: Increased approximately 5%.
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International Welding Segment Sales: Declined approximately 7%.
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Harris Products Group Sales: Increased 9%.
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Capital Expenditures (CapEx): $27 million.
Release Date: April 30, 2025
For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.
Positive Points
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Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:LECO) reported a 2.4% increase in first-quarter sales, driven by acquisitions and higher prices.
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The company successfully concluded labor negotiations in Turkey, which had previously impacted sales, and orders began to normalize in April.
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LECO generated record cash flows with a 130% cash conversion ratio and returned $150 million to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases.
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The Harris Products Group segment saw a 9% increase in sales, driven by higher prices and volume growth in the HVAC industry.
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LECO maintained a strong adjusted return on invested capital (ROIC) of 21.5%.
Negative Points
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Adjusted operating income margin declined by 60 basis points to 16.9%, impacted by acquisitions and issues in Turkey.
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Adjusted earnings per share of $2.16 was slightly lower than expected, with a $0.05 headwind from Turkey and unfavorable foreign exchange.
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Organic sales declined 1.2% in the quarter, with a 190 basis point unfavorable impact from Turkey.
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The automation segment faced challenges with ongoing compression in the American region and delayed customer capital spending.
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LECO decided to temporarily suspend merit increases, delaying an increase in employee costs by approximately $5 million per quarter.
Q & A Highlights
Q: Can you discuss the growth in all markets excluding heavy industries and provide insights on volume trends for the remainder of the year? A: Gabriel Bruno, CFO, explained that while four out of five end markets showed strength, the outlook remains uncertain. Construction and infrastructure showed mid to high single-digit growth, but the market is choppy. Automotive and general industries were up mid-single digits, with strength in consumables and HVAC. However, heavy industries remain challenged, and energy showed low single-digit growth. The company is cautious about volume trends due to potential changes in production levels and capital investment decisions.