Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Shares Acquired by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 12.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,382 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,123 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $4,582,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LECO. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in Lincoln Electric in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,020,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 216.1% during the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 53,945 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $11,184,000 after acquiring an additional 36,878 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 13.0% in the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 86,305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,353,000 after acquiring an additional 9,897 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 10.3% in the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 106,746 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $22,131,000 after acquiring an additional 9,974 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 49.7% during the second quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 119,643 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $24,804,000 after purchasing an additional 39,700 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of LECO opened at $257.64 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $245.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $238.88. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $161.11 and a 12-month high of $264.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.71, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market cap of $14.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.26.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.39 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.05 billion. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.56% and a return on equity of 40.33%. Lincoln Electric’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.14 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on LECO. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Lincoln Electric from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Lincoln Electric from $209.00 to $208.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.00.

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.