Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Shares Acquired by Fiera Capital Corp

Fiera Capital Corp increased its position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 32.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 304,083 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 75,213 shares during the period. Fiera Capital Corp’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $72,870,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 14.1% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,280,116 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $306,767,000 after buying an additional 158,305 shares during the last quarter. Syon Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 38.1% in the fourth quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 5,219 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,251,000 after buying an additional 1,441 shares during the last quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S grew its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 24,550 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,883,000 after purchasing an additional 3,325 shares during the period. Pinebridge Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $846,000. Finally, Westfield Capital Management Co. LP grew its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 19.4% in the fourth quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 337,725 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $80,932,000 after purchasing an additional 54,762 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Price Performance

LECO opened at $262.13 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $199.13 and a 52-week high of $310.00. The company has a 50 day moving average of $258.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $258.69. The company has a market cap of $14.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.21.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.42 by $0.08. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.38% and a return on equity of 39.33%. The company had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. Lincoln Electric’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Lincoln Electric’s payout ratio is currently 32.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LECO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $330.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Friday, May 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $296.00.

About Lincoln Electric

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.