Vaughan David Investments LLC IL Sells 2,013 Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Vaughan David Investments LLC IL lessened its holdings in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 220,363 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,013 shares during the period. Lincoln Electric accounts for 1.1% of Vaughan David Investments LLC IL’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $52,808,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LECO. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric during the 4th quarter worth $415,155,000. M&T Bank Corp grew its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 5,862.4% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,271,364 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $304,670,000 after acquiring an additional 1,250,041 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric during the 4th quarter worth $146,135,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 439.8% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 596,617 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $123,691,000 after acquiring an additional 486,090 shares during the period. Finally, Cartenna Capital LP grew its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 675.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cartenna Capital LP now owns 310,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $73,107,000 after acquiring an additional 270,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on LECO shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price target on Lincoln Electric in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $280.00 price target (down from $350.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Robert W. Baird set a $330.00 price target on Lincoln Electric in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Lincoln Electric from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lincoln Electric presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $296.00.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

Shares of LECO opened at $257.88 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $259.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $259.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.83. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $199.13 and a 52-week high of $310.00.

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

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

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

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.