Element Capital Management LLC Buys Shares of 2,132 Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Element Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 2,132 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $503,000. Lincoln Electric accounts for approximately 0.7% of Element Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LECO. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 8.6% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,477 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $468,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 553.4% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,137 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $215,000 after buying an additional 963 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 362,561 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $68,582,000 after buying an additional 29,505 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $26,017,000 after buying an additional 10,961 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Lincoln Electric from $253.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $297.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $330.00 price objective on Lincoln Electric in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $302.83.

Lincoln Electric Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ LECO opened at $258.45 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The business has a 50-day moving average of $271.78 and a 200-day moving average of $249.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.73, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.24. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $161.11 and a 12 month high of $310.00.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last announced its 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. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 39.35%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.57 earnings per share. Lincoln Electric’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.91%.

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.