Defender Capital LLC. Grows Stake in ESAB Corporation $ESAB

Defender Capital LLC. raised its holdings in shares of ESAB Corporation (NYSE:ESAB) by 23.2% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 36,564 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,877 shares during the period. ESAB accounts for 1.2% of Defender Capital LLC.’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Defender Capital LLC.’s holdings in ESAB were worth $3,606,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in ESAB by 29.4% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 51,867 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,042,000 after buying an additional 11,772 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new stake in ESAB in the first quarter worth about $10,616,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in ESAB by 25.9% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 458,339 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,396,000 after acquiring an additional 94,335 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of ESAB by 109.4% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 333 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of ESAB by 183.4% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 972 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,000 after acquiring an additional 629 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on ESAB. Roth Capital increased their price objective on shares of ESAB from $142.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of ESAB from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. DA Davidson began coverage on shares of ESAB in a report on Monday, June 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $130.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of ESAB from $141.00 to $137.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of ESAB in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, ESAB currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.38.

ESAB Stock Performance

ESAB opened at $85.40 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $91.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $101.90. ESAB Corporation has a 1 year low of $82.18 and a 1 year high of $137.42. The stock has a market cap of $5.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 1.22.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Rhonda L. Jordan sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 7.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About ESAB

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.