Longbow downgraded Lincoln Electric to Neutral from Buy. Analyst Eli Lustgarten said U.S. welding market checks continue to be weak due to soft commodity markets and a lackluster manufacturing environment. Lustgarten said Lincoln Electric has no clear near-term catalyst and the survey results suggests estimates will remain under pressure in 2015 and 2016.

Morgan Stanley raised the firm's price target on Lincoln Electric (LECO) to $205 from $200 and keeps an Underweight rating on the shares. The firm is marking to market its models and price targets, but notes that its earnings expectations for 2024 are relatively unchanged with its 2024 EPS estimates for its Machinery and Construction coverage changing by about 1% on average. The firm still sees the most attractive risk-rewards in Overweight-rated PACCAR (PCAR), Cummins (CMI), Martin Marietta Materials (MLM), Wabtec (WAB) and Deere (DE) and an "increasingly negatively skewed risk/reward" in Underweight-rated Terex (TEX), Lincoln Electric and Donaldson (DCI), the analyst tells investors.