4,412 Shares in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Acquired by HBK Sorce Advisory LLC

HBK Sorce Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,412 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3.8% during the first quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,177 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $293,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Hilltop Holdings Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 1,832 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $439,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 4,361 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,045,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 9.4% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 606 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $151,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. raised its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 4,314 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,034,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LECO opened at $281.97 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $15.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.20. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $264.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $265.69. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $216.22 and a twelve month high of $310.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.12. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.35% and a return on equity of 39.23%. The firm had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.60 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 11.11 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio is 31.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on LECO shares. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Lincoln Electric from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $257.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Monday, August 10th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Monday, August 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $340.00 target price for the company. DA Davidson began coverage on Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $320.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price target on Lincoln Electric in a report on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $307.22.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln Electric

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

Lincoln Electric 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.