Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Increases Stock Position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs upped its stake: The firm increased its position in Lincoln Electric by 56.3% to 54,117 shares (about 0.10% of the company) valued at roughly $13.08 million, and several other institutions also materially raised holdings, leaving institutional ownership at about 79.61%.
• Solid quarter and dividend but mixed analyst views: Lincoln Electric beat Q4 EPS estimates ($2.65 vs. $2.53) with revenue up 5.5%, declared a $0.79 quarterly dividend (annual $3.16, ~1.2% yield), while analysts remain mixed with an average "Hold" rating and a $291.14 average target price.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Free Report) by 56.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,117 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 19,489 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.10% of Lincoln Electric worth $13,075,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in LECO. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 439.8% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 596,617 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $123,691,000 after purchasing an additional 486,090 shares during the last quarter. Cartenna Capital LP raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 675.0% during the third quarter. Cartenna Capital LP now owns 310,000 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $73,107,000 after purchasing an additional 270,000 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 31.8% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 919,926 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $216,946,000 after purchasing an additional 221,853 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 24.6% during the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 850,201 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $200,517,000 after purchasing an additional 167,773 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 239.5% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 184,191 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $43,438,000 after purchasing an additional 129,932 shares during the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $310.00 to $280.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and set a $297.00 price objective (up from $285.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and set a $280.00 price objective (down from $350.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Lincoln Electric from $240.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $291.14.

Lincoln Electric Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of LECO stock opened at $260.00 on Friday. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $170.01 and a 12 month high of $310.00. The stock has a market cap of $14.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $263.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $252.87.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.12. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 39.35%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.57 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Lincoln Electric's dividend payout ratio is presently 33.91%.

Lincoln Electric 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.

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