UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Sells 11,739 Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC reduced its position in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Free Report) by 8.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 124,744 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 11,739 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned about 0.23% of Lincoln Electric worth $33,121,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3.4% in the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 60,051 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $15,944,000 after acquiring an additional 1,961 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in Lincoln Electric by 126.9% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 17,021 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,500,000 after purchasing an additional 9,518 shares during the last quarter. Archer Investment Corp bought a new stake in Lincoln Electric in the 2nd quarter valued at about $247,000. Glenview Trust Co purchased a new position in Lincoln Electric in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Lincoln Electric in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,561,000. Institutional investors own 79.61% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a "buy" rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen raised Lincoln Electric from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Lincoln Electric from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $257.00 to $283.00 in a research note on Monday, August 10th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Monday, August 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $340.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, 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. 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 Lincoln Electric stock traded up $2.60 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $259.80. The company's stock had a trading volume of 124,872 shares, compared to its average volume of 387,812. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $268.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $263.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market cap of $14.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.21. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $216.22 and a one year high of $310.00.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company 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 firm posted $2.60 EPS. Lincoln Electric's quarterly revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 11.16 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The firm 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 $0.79 dividend. 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%.

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.