Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. lessened its stake in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 1.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,399,716 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 104,669 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 0.10% of Lincoln Electric worth $1,273,415,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of LECO. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 7.3% in the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 18,880 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,452,000 after buying an additional 1,278 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,011 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,361,000 after acquiring an additional 310 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 12,344 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,911,000 after acquiring an additional 344 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 20.4% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 11,845 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,793,000 after acquiring an additional 2,005 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board bought a new position in Lincoln Electric during the third quarter worth $1,316,000. Institutional investors own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on LECO. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $297.00 target price (up previously from $285.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird set a $330.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley set a $240.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln Electric has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $302.83.

Lincoln Electric Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:LECO opened at $286.13 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $262.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $246.13. The company has a market cap of $15.75 billion, a PE ratio of 30.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.26. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $161.11 and a fifty-two week high of $310.00.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 39.35%. Lincoln Electric’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.57 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.91%.

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.