3,289 Shares in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) Bought by MQS Management LLC

MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 3,289 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $632,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 174.4% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 107 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 97.9% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 283 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 41.5% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 300 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Lincoln Electric by 308.5% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 335 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.61% of the company's stock.

Lincoln Electric Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LECO traded down $4.01 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $210.53. The stock had a trading volume of 232,484 shares, compared to its average volume of 319,141. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $192.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $197.47. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $169.51 and a 12 month high of $261.13. The company has a market cap of $11.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.73, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.14.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.05 by $0.09. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 40.03% and a net margin of 11.93%. The business had revenue of $983.76 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $988.07 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.40 earnings per share. Lincoln Electric's quarterly revenue was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 8.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. This is an increase from Lincoln Electric's previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. Lincoln Electric's payout ratio is presently 33.89%.

Insider Transactions at Lincoln Electric

In other Lincoln Electric news, SVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.96, for a total transaction of $193,556.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,178 shares in the company, valued at $1,966,880.88. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.63% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on LECO shares. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Lincoln Electric from $184.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Lincoln Electric from $220.00 to $212.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Lincoln Electric from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $221.67.

Lincoln Electric Profile

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and sells welding, cutting, and brazing products worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Americas Welding, International Welding, and The Harris Products Group. It offers brazing and soldering filler metals, arc welding equipment, plasma and oxyfuel cutting systems, wire feeding systems, fume control equipment, welding accessories, and specialty gas regulators, and education solutions, as well as a portfolio of automated solutions for joining, cutting, material handling, module assembly, and end of line testing, as well as involved in brazing and soldering alloys, and in the retail business in the United States.