Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Acquires 26,988 Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. purchased a new stake in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 26,988 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,140,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Lincoln Electric by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 9,102 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,369,000 after purchasing an additional 626 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its stake in Lincoln Electric by 1.2% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 4,220 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,117,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Midway Capital Research & Management boosted its stake in Lincoln Electric by 0.7% in the third quarter. Midway Capital Research & Management now owns 10,578 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,799,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 8.5% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,259 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $333,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric during the third quarter worth $333,000. 79.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $257.00 to $283.00 in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $271.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Monday, October 19th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Monday, August 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $340.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $306.78.

Lincoln Electric Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ LECO opened at $255.96 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.95 billion, a PE ratio of 25.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $216.22 and a 1 year high of $310.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $268.32 and its 200-day moving average is $264.40.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.35% and a return on equity of 39.23%. Lincoln Electric’s revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.60 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 11.18 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 31st will be paid a $0.87 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 31st. This is a boost from Lincoln Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. This represents a $3.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Lincoln Electric’s payout ratio is 34.77%.

About Lincoln Electric

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: LECO) is a global manufacturer of welding, cutting and industrial automation products. The company serves customers in industries including construction, manufacturing, energy, transportation and heavy equipment.

Its product portfolio includes arc-welding equipment, welding consumables such as electrodes and welding wire, plasma-cutting systems, welding accessories and personal protective equipment. Lincoln Electric also provides robotic and automated welding systems, industrial automation solutions, application engineering, training and maintenance services.