Lincoln Electric Holdings (Nasdaq: LECO) reported earnings on April 24. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Lincoln Electric Holdings beat expectations on revenue and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue expanded significantly and GAAP earnings per share improved significantly.

Margins improved across the board.

Revenue details
Lincoln Electric Holdings reported revenue of $727.1 million. The five analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected to see a top line of $699.3 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 21% higher than the prior-year quarter's $599.2 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
EPS came in at $0.76. The five earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.68 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.76 for Q1 were 36% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.56 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 29.6%, 270 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 12.6%, 260 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 8.8%, 100 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $782.9 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.82.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $3.06 billion. The average EPS estimate is $3.06.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 368 members out of 375 rating the stock outperform, and seven members rating it underperform. Among 123 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), all 123 give Lincoln Electric Holdings a green thumbs-up.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Lincoln Electric Holdings is outperform, with an average price target of $53.50.