2,031 Shares in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Purchased by Wakefield Asset Management LLLP

Wakefield Asset Management LLLP acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,031 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $487,000.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

LECO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued 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. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 target price on Lincoln Electric in a report on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Monday, May 4th. Barclays increased their price target on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $330.00 price target on Lincoln Electric in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lincoln Electric has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $296.00.

Lincoln Electric Stock Down 2.0%

NASDAQ LECO opened at $260.92 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $14.30 billion, a PE ratio of 26.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.24. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $188.65 and a one year high of $310.00. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $258.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $255.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $1.12 billion for 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 for the quarter was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio is 32.61%.

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.