Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) Shares Acquired by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Free Report) by 75.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,811 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,633 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $721,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 255.1% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 174 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric during the fourth quarter valued at about $68,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 22.4% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 459 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 22.2% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 517 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $97,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lincoln Electric Trading Up 0.7%

NASDAQ LECO traded up $1.43 during trading on Monday, hitting $217.71. The stock had a trading volume of 599,343 shares, compared to its average volume of 322,920. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.20. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $161.11 and a one year high of $222.52. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $198.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $194.00.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.22 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $365.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $974.39 million. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.44% and a net margin of 11.44%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.23 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. Lincoln Electric's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on LECO. Wall Street Zen lowered Lincoln Electric from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Lincoln Electric from $178.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Lincoln Electric from $242.00 to $212.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Lincoln Electric from $179.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price target on Lincoln Electric from $245.00 to $225.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $206.40.

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.