Quantum Financial Advisors LLC Acquires Shares of 2,243 Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Quantum Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 2,243 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $538,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new stake in Lincoln Electric during the third quarter valued at $1,020,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 239.5% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 184,191 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $43,438,000 after buying an additional 129,932 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 18.9% in the 3rd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 34,628 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $8,166,000 after buying an additional 5,512 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. grew its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 13.0% during the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 86,305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,353,000 after buying an additional 9,897 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 58,843 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $13,877,000 after buying an additional 4,898 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LECO. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Morgan Stanley set a $240.00 target price on Lincoln Electric and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Robert W. Baird set a $330.00 price objective on Lincoln Electric in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $302.83.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

LECO opened at $252.70 on Tuesday. 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’s 50 day moving average is $272.54 and its 200-day moving average is $250.26. The stock has a market cap of $13.85 billion, a PE ratio of 27.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.24. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $161.11 and a twelve month high of $310.00.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.35% and a net margin of 12.30%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.57 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. 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.