Intech Investment Management LLC Increases Stake in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 266.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,380 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,912 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $1,289,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,850,816 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $436,478,000 after purchasing an additional 72,826 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,306,641 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $313,175,000 after purchasing an additional 6,070 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp raised its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 5,862.4% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,271,364 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $304,670,000 after purchasing an additional 1,250,041 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 31.8% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 919,926 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $216,946,000 after purchasing an additional 221,853 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners raised its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 24.6% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 850,201 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $200,517,000 after purchasing an additional 167,773 shares during the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lincoln Electric Stock Down 0.6%

Lincoln Electric stock opened at $262.13 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $14.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.21. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $199.13 and a 52 week high of $310.00. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $258.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $258.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.42 by $0.08. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.33% and a net margin of 12.38%.The firm had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.16 earnings per share. Lincoln Electric’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $280.00 price objective (down from $350.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Robert W. Baird set a $330.00 price objective on Lincoln Electric in a research note on Friday, February 13th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen cut Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, May 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price objective on Lincoln Electric in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $296.00.

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.