(LECO) - analysts were expecting earnings per share of 75 cents, LECO posted 86 cents per share for the first quarter

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (LECO) managed to beat the consensus estimate by an average margin of 7.85% over the past five consecutive quarters. In late April, the company posted first-quarter earnings of 86 cents per share, which topped analysts' expectations of 75 cents and exceeded the year-prior total. Sales reached a record $468.4 million, which compares to last year's $362.9 million. Full Analysis Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. is the world leader in the design, development and manufacture of arc welding products, robotic arc-welding systems, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment and has a leading global position in the brazing and soldering alloys market. The company delivered an upside first-quarter earnings surprise on April 26, 2006. While analysts were expecting earnings per share of 75 cents, LECO posted 86 cents per share for the first quarter. The result also topped its year-ago total. During the past five consecutive quarters, Lincoln Electric Holdings managed to beat the consensus estimate by an average margin of 7.85%. Sales reached a record $468.4 million, which compares to last year's $362.9 million. John M. Stropki, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, noted that the company's regional strategies continue to progress effectively, resulting in record sales levels across most channels, product segments and markets. Wall Street has been bullish on earnings estimates for the second quarter and the full year. Current quarterly forecasts of 95 cents per share are 12 cents ahead of the three months-ago levels. Analysts' expectations for 2006 moved up 55 cents over the past 90 trading to the current level of $3.60 per share. On April 28, 2006, the company declared a cash dividend of 19 cents per share. LECO offers a current dividend yield of about 1.2%. The company's has a five-year average dividend yield of 2.63%. Note: The Zacks Rank is a very sensitive indicator that can change frequently for an individual stock. The ranks are updated every Monday morning on Zacks.com. As such, it is prudent to check the site for the latest Zacks Rank on the stocks highlighted in this section. Simply click the link for the stock or enter the symbol in the ticker entry box in the upper left hand corner of the web site. Content Courtesy: Zacks Investment Research #1 Ranked Stocks Highlight Archive To truly take advantage of the Zacks Rank, you need to first understand how it works. That is why we created the free special report: Zacks Rank Guide: Harnessing the Power of Earnings Estimate Revisions. Blog Home