William Blair Investment Management LLC Acquires Shares of 503,632 ESAB Corporation $ESAB

William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ESAB Corporation (NYSE:ESAB) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 503,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,673,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ESAB in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in ESAB by 109.4% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 333 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in ESAB by 259.4% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 381 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in ESAB by 3,023.1% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 406 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in ESAB by 185.3% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 642 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 417 shares in the last quarter. 91.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at ESAB

In other news, Director Rhonda L. Jordan sold 1,000 shares of ESAB stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $95,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $95,000. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 7.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

ESAB Stock Performance

Shares of ESAB stock opened at $81.49 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $90.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $99.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.19. ESAB Corporation has a 12 month low of $77.34 and a 12 month high of $137.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99.

ESAB (NYSE:ESAB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $807.63 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $755.64 million. ESAB had a return on equity of 14.48% and a net margin of 5.75%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.36 EPS. ESAB has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.400-5.500 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that ESAB Corporation will post 5.46 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded ESAB from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Oppenheimer cut their target price on ESAB from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Roth Capital upped their price target on ESAB from $142.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on ESAB from $141.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, DA Davidson began coverage on ESAB in a research note on Monday, June 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $130.00 price objective on the stock. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.14.

ESAB Company Profile

ESAB Corporation is a global leader in welding, cutting and gas control technologies, offering a comprehensive portfolio of equipment, consumables and automation solutions. The company’s products include welding power sources, cutting machines, torches, electrodes, filler metals and gas regulating equipment designed to meet the needs of diverse industries. ESAB serves sectors such as construction, shipbuilding, automotive, energy, infrastructure and manufacturing, providing both standard and customized solutions to enhance productivity and quality in metal fabrication and processing.

Founded in 1904 by Swedish inventor Oscar Kjellberg, ESAB pioneered the development of coated welding electrodes, laying the groundwork for modern welding practices.