K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc Makes New Investment in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc bought a new position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 7,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,677,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LECO. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3,700.0% in the 3rd quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 114 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Eastern Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 109.4% in the 3rd quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 201 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 980.8% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 281 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the period. 79.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lincoln Electric Trading Up 3.1%

Shares of NASDAQ LECO opened at $274.89 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.24. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $180.16 and a 1-year high of $310.00. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $261.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $254.19.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.42 by $0.08. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.33% and a net margin of 12.38%.The firm had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.16 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $297.00 price objective (up from $285.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lincoln Electric from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Monday. Robert W. Baird set a $330.00 price objective on Lincoln Electric in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price objective on Lincoln Electric in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lincoln Electric presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $296.00.

Lincoln Electric Company Profile

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: LECO) is a global manufacturer and distributor of welding products, robotic welding systems, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment, and surface treatment systems. The company’s portfolio encompasses welding consumables such as electrodes and wires, as well as power sources, torches, and automated welding cells. Lincoln Electric also offers software solutions and training services designed to optimize productivity and quality in fabrication and manufacturing operations.

Founded in 1895 by John C.