Hsbc Holdings PLC Has $4.50 Million Stock Position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Free Report) by 126.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 17,021 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 9,518 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC's holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $4,500,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lincoln Electric in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Lincoln Electric during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $69,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 118.8% in the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 350 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $87,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.61% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on LECO. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $257.00 to $283.00 in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings raised Lincoln Electric from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on Lincoln Electric in a report on Monday, August 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $340.00 price target for the company. One equities 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $307.22.

Lincoln Electric Price Performance

Shares of LECO stock traded up $2.60 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $259.80. The stock had a trading volume of 124,872 shares, compared to its average volume of 387,812. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $268.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $263.38. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $216.22 and a one year high of $310.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.93, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 1.20.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.35% and a return on equity of 39.23%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.60 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 11.16 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Lincoln Electric's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.57%.

About Lincoln Electric

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc NASDAQ: LECO is a Cleveland, Ohio-based manufacturer of welding, cutting and automation products. Founded in 1895 by John C. Lincoln, the company serves industrial, construction, energy, transportation and other end markets that use fabrication and joining technologies.

Its product portfolio includes arc-welding machines, welding consumables such as electrodes and wire, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment, robotic welding systems, and related automation solutions.