2,440 Shares in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Acquired by Fox Run Management L.L.C.

Fox Run Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 2,440 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $575,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric during the second quarter worth $354,063,000. Boston Partners purchased a new position in Lincoln Electric in the 2nd quarter worth about $141,550,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 486,090 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in 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 buying an additional 129,932 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 5.6% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,558,783 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $323,167,000 after buying an additional 83,035 shares during the period. 79.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lincoln Electric Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:LECO opened at $287.05 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $266.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $247.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $161.11 and a 12-month high of $310.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.26.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.35% and a net margin of 12.30%.Lincoln Electric’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.57 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 9.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Lincoln Electric’s payout ratio is currently 33.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Lincoln Electric from $253.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird set a $330.00 target price on Lincoln Electric in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $302.83.

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.