EP Wealth Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 12,562 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $444,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in LECO. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln Electric during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric during the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the 2nd quarter valued at about $48,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 980.8% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 281 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln Electric

In other news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.81, for a total value of $232,214.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 9,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,560,954.39. The trade was a 8.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.68% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:LECO opened at $280.15 on Wednesday. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $216.22 and a 12-month high of $310.00. The business has a 50 day moving average of $266.48 and a 200-day moving average of $265.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market cap of $15.27 billion, a PE ratio of 27.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.20.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.23% and a net margin of 12.35%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.60 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 11.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on LECO shares. UBS Group started coverage on Lincoln Electric in a research report on Monday, August 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $340.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lincoln Electric from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lincoln Electric from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $307.22.

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.