Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Has $199.40 Million Stock Position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 72.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 800,524 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 335,470 shares during the quarter. Lincoln Electric makes up approximately 2.0% of Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest position. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $199,395,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in LECO. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in Lincoln Electric by 72.2% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,156 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $517,000 after buying an additional 904 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 3,748 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $898,000 after buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in Lincoln Electric by 252.1% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 8,293 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,988,000 after buying an additional 5,938 shares during the period. Midway Capital Research & Management purchased a new stake in Lincoln Electric in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,468,000. Finally, Tempo Wealth LLC bought a new position in Lincoln Electric in the 4th quarter worth about $988,000. 79.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LECO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 17th. Barclays increased their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lincoln Electric from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. DA Davidson started coverage on Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price target on Lincoln Electric in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lincoln Electric has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $299.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln Electric

In related news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.81, for a total transaction of $232,214.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,319 shares in the company, valued at $2,560,954.39. This represents a 8.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.68% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

Shares of LECO stock opened at $275.37 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $15.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.42, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.21. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $199.13 and a 52-week high of $310.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The company’s 50 day moving average is $262.47 and its 200 day moving average is $261.06.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last posted its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.33% and a net margin of 12.38%.Lincoln Electric’s revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.16 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Lincoln Electric’s payout ratio is presently 32.61%.

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.