RBC Capital analyst Matthew McConnell Air Liquide's acquisition of Airgas (ARG) opens the possibility that the French company could enter the market for U.S. welding equipment manufacturing, which is currently concentrated with top three players Lincoln Electric (LECO), Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and Colfax (CFX). The firm, which assumes that roughly 8% of Lincoln Electric's total sales go through Airgas, said the merger deal is most relevant for Lincoln, but also potentially negative for the other two. The firm keeps Sector Perform ratings on Lincoln, Illinois Tool and Colfax.