Empowered Funds LLC Makes New $1.56 Million Investment in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new $1.56 million stake in Lincoln Electric during the second quarter, purchasing 5,878 shares. Institutional investors collectively own 79.61% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $307.22; UBS and DA Davidson initiated coverage with “Buy” ratings.
• Lincoln Electric exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.93 in EPS and $1.22 billion in revenue, while revenue grew 12% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.79 per share, representing a 1.2% annualized yield.

Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 5,878 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,561,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Lincoln Electric during the 2nd quarter valued at about $656,165,000. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,677,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter worth approximately $415,155,000. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 23.2% in the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 64,257 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $16,005,000 after acquiring an additional 12,093 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,306,641 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $313,175,000 after purchasing an additional 6,070 shares during the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $257.00 to $283.00 in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lincoln Electric from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Monday, August 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $340.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen raised Lincoln Electric from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, DA Davidson initiated coverage on Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $307.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lincoln Electric news, EVP Michael 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 transaction of $232,214.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,319 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,560,954.39. The trade was a 8.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Lincoln Electric

Here are the key news stories impacting Lincoln Electric this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Higher earnings expectations: Zacks Research raised its EPS forecasts across multiple periods, including Q1 2027 to $2.73 from $2.66, Q2 2027 to $3.27 from $3.24, and Q4 2027 to $3.06 from $3.02. Its FY2027 forecast increased to $12.08 from $11.88, above the current-year consensus of $11.13. Lincoln Electric analyst estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term growth outlook improved: Zacks lifted its Q1 2028 EPS estimate to $2.95 from $2.88, Q2 2028 to $3.43 from $3.37, and FY2028 to $12.90 from $12.62. The upward revisions suggest expectations for continued earnings expansion at the industrial-products company. Lincoln Electric long-term earnings estimates
• Positive Sentiment: GARP and industry positioning: Zacks identified LECO as a growth-at-a-reasonable-price candidate, citing solid prospects relative to valuation. The company was also included among manufacturing-tools stocks positioned to benefit from increased manufacturing activity, technological progress and strategic acquisitions. GARP stocks article Manufacturing tools stocks article

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

Shares of LECO opened at $273.83 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $267.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $265.33. 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 Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $216.22 and a 52 week high of $310.00. The stock has a market cap of $14.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.36, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.21.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.17 billion. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.23% and a net margin of 12.35%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.60 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 11.16 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 paid 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 yield of 1.2%. Lincoln Electric's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.57%.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LECO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.