LECO

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc.

HALAL

Score: 86/100

stock

Is LECO Halal?

Global manufacturer of welding, cutting, and joining products — a permissible industrial-equipment manufacturing business with a strong financial-screen profile.

What You Should Know

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. is a publicly-traded global manufacturer of welding, cutting, and brazing-and-soldering products and the global leader in the design, development, and manufacture of arc-welding products, automated-joining, assembly-and-cutting systems, plasma-and-oxy-fuel cutting equipment, and consumables, organized into reporting segments including Americas Welding, International Welding, and The Harris Products Group (cutting, soldering, and brazing products and retail-and-specialty-gas-control equipment). Welding-equipment manufacturing, cutting-equipment manufacturing, welding-consumables manufacturing, and automation-and-robotic-welding-systems manufacturing are general-purpose industrial-equipment manufacturing activities that are unambiguously permissible at the activity level under standard Sharia methodology. The financial screen passes comfortably: Lincoln Electric operates a moderate-to-low-leverage balance sheet with strong free-cash-flow conversion and high returns on capital, and the debt-to-market-cap ratio generally sits well below the 33% Sharia threshold. Most major Sharia advisory boards classify Lincoln Electric as permissible with purification of small interest-income components.

⚠️ Concerns

•Minor interest income on cash and short-term investment balances — purification of a small portion of dividends may be advisable
•Debt-to-market-cap ratio should be re-verified against the 33% Sharia threshold at the time of investment given Lincoln Electric's acquisition activity and share-repurchase program
•Welding-and-cutting products are sold into mixed-Sharia-profile end-markets (including general-industrial, construction, energy, automotive, and shipbuilding customers) via distribution — under standard Sharia screening methodology, the relevant industry classification is general-purpose industrial-equipment manufacturing rather than the look-through end-customer mix
•A portion of welding-and-cutting products may be sold into defense-and-shipbuilding end-markets through distribution — under standard Sharia screening methodology this is general-purpose industrial-equipment rather than direct weapons-platform revenue
•Raw-material (steel, copper, and other metal) input-cost volatility can affect margins — this is a business-cycle and input-cost consideration rather than a Sharia screen concern
•Exposure to global-industrial-production and capital-equipment cycles can drive earnings volatility — this is a business-cycle consideration rather than a Sharia screen concern