Nicolet Advisory Services LLC Makes New $227,000 Investment in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO)

Key Points

• Nicolet Advisory Services LLC has acquired a new stake in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc., purchasing 1,281 shares valued at approximately $227,000.
• Lincoln Electric recently reported quarterly earnings of $2.60 EPS, exceeding analyst expectations of $2.32 and posting a revenue increase of 6.6% year-over-year.
• The company's quarterly dividend of $0.75 per share will be paid on October 15th, representing an annual yield of 1.2% and a payout ratio of 33.71%.

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,281 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $227,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Lincoln Electric in the 4th quarter valued at about $68,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 77.1% during the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 425 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in Lincoln Electric by 22.2% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 517 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership increased its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 12.2% in the first quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 553 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LECO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $179.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $242.00 to $212.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Lincoln Electric from $236.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $250.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $231.40.

Lincoln Electric Price Performance

Shares of Lincoln Electric stock traded down $4.31 on Wednesday, hitting $241.27. 133,455 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 352,259. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $213.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $199.56. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $161.11 and a 12-month high of $246.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The company has a market cap of $13.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.21.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.32 by $0.28. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.79% and a net margin of 12.27%. The firm had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.34 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Lincoln Electric's dividend payout ratio is presently 33.71%.

Lincoln Electric Profile

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and sells welding, cutting, and brazing products worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Americas Welding, International Welding, and The Harris Products Group. It offers brazing and soldering filler metals, arc welding equipment, plasma and oxyfuel cutting systems, wire feeding systems, fume control equipment, welding accessories, and specialty gas regulators, and education solutions, as well as a portfolio of automated solutions for joining, cutting, material handling, module assembly, and end of line testing, as well as involved in brazing and soldering alloys, and in the retail business in the United States.