619,920 Shares in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Purchased by Advisors Capital Management LLC

Advisors Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 619,920 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $21,914,000. Advisors Capital Management LLC owned approximately 1.14% of Lincoln Electric as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LECO. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Lincoln Electric during the second quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 980.8% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 281 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Finally, United Community Bank acquired a new stake in Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter worth about $65,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.61% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LECO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group initiated coverage on Lincoln Electric in a research report on Monday, August 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $340.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised Lincoln Electric from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price target on Lincoln Electric in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, DA Davidson initiated coverage on Lincoln Electric in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $320.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln Electric currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $307.22.

Insider Activity at Lincoln Electric

In other Lincoln Electric news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,319 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,560,954.39. This trade represents a 8.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.68% of the company's stock.

Lincoln Electric Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:LECO opened at $276.88 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $265.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $265.86. The company has a market capitalization of $15.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.66, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.20. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $216.22 and a 12-month high of $310.00. 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 (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.12. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.23% and a net margin of 12.35%.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 prior year, the company earned $2.60 EPS. Lincoln Electric's revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 11.13 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. Lincoln Electric's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.57%.

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.

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