Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Shares Purchased by Boston Trust Walden Corp

Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its holdings in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 0.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 305,870 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,115 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned about 0.56% of Lincoln Electric worth $76,186,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Diamant Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 24,685.8% in the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,839,568 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $956,360,000 after buying an additional 3,824,077 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric during the fourth quarter worth about $415,155,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,306,641 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $313,175,000 after acquiring an additional 6,070 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake 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 worth $306,767,000 after acquiring an additional 158,305 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 5,862.4% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.81, for a total transaction of $232,214.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 9,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,560,954.39. This represents a 8.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.68% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on LECO. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price objective on Lincoln Electric in a report on Friday, May 1st. DA Davidson started coverage on Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, May 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $280.00 price objective (down from $350.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Five 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln Electric currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $299.00.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

Lincoln Electric stock opened at $258.43 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.15. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $213.71 and a 12 month high of $310.00. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $263.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $262.54. The company has a market cap of $14.16 billion, a PE ratio of 26.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.20.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $0.79 dividend. 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 (DPR) is currently 32.61%.

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.