Midway Capital Research & Management Makes New Investment in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Midway Capital Research & Management bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 10,300 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,468,000. Lincoln Electric makes up about 2.4% of Midway Capital Research & Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LECO. Tempo Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $988,000. Mariner Investment Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Mariner Investment Group LLC now owns 16,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,834,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $191,000. Kera Capital Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 78.1% in the fourth quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 3,014 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $800,000 after purchasing an additional 1,322 shares during the period. Finally, Compound Planning Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 27.9% in the 4th quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,882 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $451,000 after buying an additional 410 shares during the period. 79.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lincoln Electric Price Performance

LECO opened at $275.37 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.42, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.21. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $199.13 and a 12-month high of $310.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $262.47 and a 200-day moving average of $260.89.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last posted its quarterly 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 net margin of 12.38% and a return on equity of 39.33%. The business had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.16 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on LECO. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, May 17th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays lifted their target price on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. DA Davidson initiated coverage on Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $320.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lincoln Electric from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lincoln Electric currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $299.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lincoln Electric news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of Lincoln Electric stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.81, for a total value of $232,214.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,319 shares in the company, valued at $2,560,954.39. The trade was a 8.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.68% of the company’s stock.

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.