OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC Takes $209,000 Position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 5,903 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $209,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 8.6% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,477 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $468,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 553.4% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,137 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $215,000 after acquiring an additional 963 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 8.9% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 362,561 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $68,582,000 after acquiring an additional 29,505 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 8.7% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 137,540 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,017,000 after purchasing an additional 10,961 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 980.8% in the first 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 period. 79.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lincoln Electric Stock Down 1.0%

LECO stock opened at $276.88 on Friday. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $216.22 and a twelve month high of $310.00. 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 company has a market cap of $15.09 billion, a PE ratio of 27.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.20. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $265.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $265.86.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.12. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.23% and a net margin of 12.35%.The firm 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 firm posted $2.60 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 11.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lincoln Electric news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of Lincoln Electric stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.81, for a total transaction of $232,214.45. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 9,319 shares in the company, valued at $2,560,954.39. The trade was a 8.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Lincoln Electric from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Barclays raised their target price on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lincoln Electric from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. DA Davidson started coverage on Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $257.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Monday, August 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $307.22.

Lincoln Electric 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.