Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Stock Holdings Lifted by Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc.

Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. lifted its position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 23.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 99,700 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 18,700 shares during the quarter. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc.’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $23,892,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter worth about $415,155,000. M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings 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 valued at $304,670,000 after acquiring an additional 1,250,041 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric during the 4th quarter valued at about $146,135,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Lincoln Electric by 439.8% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 596,617 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $123,691,000 after purchasing an additional 486,090 shares during the period. Finally, Cartenna Capital LP boosted its position in Lincoln Electric by 675.0% during the third quarter. Cartenna Capital LP now owns 310,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $73,107,000 after purchasing an additional 270,000 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of LECO stock opened at $258.25 on Friday. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $199.13 and a 12 month high of $310.00. The firm has a market cap of $14.15 billion, a PE ratio of 26.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $259.67 and a 200-day moving average of $259.67. 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 (NASDAQ:LECO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.42 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.33% and a net margin of 12.38%.Lincoln Electric’s revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.16 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.81 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 17th. Weiss Ratings raised Lincoln Electric from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $280.00 target price (down from $350.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 target price on Lincoln Electric in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $296.00.

Lincoln Electric Company 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.