First National Bank of Omaha Acquires Shares of 6,189 Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

First National Bank of Omaha bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 6,189 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,643,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LECO. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the 2nd quarter worth $656,165,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 24,685.8% during the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,839,568 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $956,360,000 after buying an additional 3,824,077 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric during the 4th quarter worth about $415,155,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,306,641 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $313,175,000 after acquiring an additional 6,070 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,280,116 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $306,767,000 after acquiring an additional 158,305 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

Shares of LECO opened at $279.56 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.98. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $216.22 and a twelve month high of $310.00. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $265.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $265.77. The firm has a market cap of $15.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.93, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.20.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.12. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.35% and a return on equity of 39.23%. The company had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.60 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Monday, August 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $340.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lincoln Electric from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Lincoln Electric from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $257.00 to $283.00 in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, DA Davidson began coverage on Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln Electric has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $307.22.

Insider Transactions at Lincoln Electric

In other Lincoln Electric news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,560,954.39. This represents a 8.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.68% of the company’s stock.

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.