Fisher Asset Management LLC Buys 4,291 Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Key Points

• Fisher Asset Management increased its stake in Lincoln Electric by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, buying 4,291 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 442,174 shares valued at about $106 million.
• Lincoln Electric reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.50 versus the $2.42 consensus and revenue of $1.12 billion, up 11.7% from a year earlier.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.79 per share, payable July 15, representing a 1.2% annualized yield; analysts currently have a consensus rating of "Hold" with an average price target of $296.00.

Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Free Report) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 442,174 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,291 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.80% of Lincoln Electric worth $105,963,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in LECO. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 8.6% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,477 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $468,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 553.4% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,137 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $215,000 after acquiring an additional 963 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 8.9% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 362,561 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $68,582,000 after acquiring an additional 29,505 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 8.7% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 137,540 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $26,017,000 after buying an additional 10,961 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 980.8% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 281 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lincoln Electric Price Performance

Lincoln Electric stock opened at $263.43 on Tuesday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $257.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $256.65. The stock has a market cap of $14.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.24. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $188.65 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.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.42 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.07 billion. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.33% and a net margin of 12.38%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.16 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Lincoln Electric's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp raised their target price on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen lowered Lincoln Electric from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, May 17th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and issued a $280.00 target price (down from $350.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating and issued a $297.00 target price (up from $285.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Lincoln Electric from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $296.00.

About Lincoln Electric

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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