Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Sells 10,360 Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. decreased its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 465,054 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 10,360 shares during the quarter. Lincoln Electric makes up about 1.1% of Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned approximately 0.85% of Lincoln Electric worth $111,446,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,020,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 239.5% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 184,191 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $43,438,000 after acquiring an additional 129,932 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lifted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 18.9% in the 3rd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 34,628 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,166,000 after purchasing an additional 5,512 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its position in Lincoln Electric by 13.0% during the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 86,305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $20,353,000 after purchasing an additional 9,897 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its position in Lincoln Electric by 9.1% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 58,843 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $13,877,000 after purchasing an additional 4,898 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of LECO stock opened at $244.27 on Tuesday. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $161.11 and a 1 year high of $310.00. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $271.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $250.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

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

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on LECO shares. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $297.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Lincoln Electric from $240.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lincoln Electric currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $304.00.

About Lincoln Electric

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.