Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Shares Bought by Intech Investment Management LLC

Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 266.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 5,380 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 3,912 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $1,289,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Profund Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3.8% in the third quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 1,264 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $298,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 4,361 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,045,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3.1% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,821 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $427,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP lifted its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 1,563 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $375,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Modern Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 0.7% in the third quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,010 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,125,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

Shares of Lincoln Electric stock opened at $262.13 on Friday. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $199.13 and a one year high of $310.00. The company has a market cap of $14.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.05, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.83. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $258.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $258.43.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 EPS 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.16 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.81 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given 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 1.2%. Lincoln Electric’s payout ratio is currently 32.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LECO has been the topic of several research reports. KeyCorp raised their target price on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price objective on Lincoln Electric in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $280.00 price objective (down from $350.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $330.00 price objective on Lincoln Electric in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $296.00.

About Lincoln Electric

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.