QRG Capital Management Inc. Invests $681,000 in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

QRG Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,887 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $681,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 82.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 155 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in Lincoln Electric by 3,860.0% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 198 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank raised its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 109.4% in the third quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 201 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 980.8% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 281 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of Lincoln Electric stock opened at $259.19 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $242.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $237.94. The stock has a market cap of $14.26 billion, a PE ratio of 27.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $161.11 and a 12 month high of $264.87.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.05 billion. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 40.33% and a net margin of 12.56%.The company’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.14 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 9.36 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on LECO. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Roth Mkm set a $285.00 target price on Lincoln Electric and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Lincoln Electric from $209.00 to $208.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 12th. Zacks Research lowered Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $265.00 to $252.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $249.50.

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.