Gladius Capital Management LP Makes New Investment in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO)

Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 343 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Naples Global Advisors LLC grew its position in Lincoln Electric by 8.4% during the second quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 7,714 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,460,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. Mcdonald Partners LLC boosted its stake in Lincoln Electric by 9.9% in the 2nd quarter. Mcdonald Partners LLC now owns 2,215 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $418,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Lincoln Electric during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 15.6% during the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,699 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,207,000 after purchasing an additional 1,576 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Albert D Mason Inc. boosted its stake in Lincoln Electric by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. Albert D Mason Inc. now owns 6,250 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,179,000 after purchasing an additional 531 shares during the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lincoln Electric Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LECO traded up $1.18 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $193.46. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 242,700 shares, compared to its average volume of 337,849. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $164.00 and a 1-year high of $261.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 1.15. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $192.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $220.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.06.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.04. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 42.24%. The business had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.44 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 9.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 30th. Lincoln Electric’s payout ratio is currently 30.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. KeyCorp lowered their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $240.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 24th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $213.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Loop Capital reduced their target price on Lincoln Electric from $285.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 24th. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Lincoln Electric from $209.00 to $213.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $219.43.

Lincoln Electric Company Profile

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and sells welding, cutting, and brazing products worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Americas Welding, International Welding, and The Harris Products Group. It offers brazing and soldering filler metals, arc welding equipment, plasma and oxyfuel cutting systems, wire feeding systems, fume control equipment, welding accessories, and specialty gas regulators, and education solutions, as well as a portfolio of automated solutions for joining, cutting, material handling, module assembly, and end of line testing, as well as involved in brazing and soldering alloys, and in the retail business in the United States.