Semanteon Capital Management LP Makes New Investment in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO)

Semanteon Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 6,378 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $1,225,000. Lincoln Electric accounts for 0.8% of Semanteon Capital Management LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in LECO. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 1,303 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in 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 buying an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its stake in Lincoln Electric by 194.4% in the 1st quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 106 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Financial Counselors Inc. raised its position in Lincoln Electric by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 26,125 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $6,673,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Greenleaf Trust increased its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3.1% during the third quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 2,366 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $454,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. 79.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lincoln Electric Price Performance

Lincoln Electric stock traded up $2.13 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $195.84. 250,355 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 317,342. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 2.06 and a quick ratio of 1.31. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $169.51 and a 12-month high of $261.13. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $189.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $199.78. The company has a market capitalization of $11.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.79, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.14.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.04. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.48% and a return on equity of 42.24%. The business had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.44 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 8.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.53%. This is a positive change from Lincoln Electric's previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Lincoln Electric's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln Electric

In related news, SVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.96, for a total value of $193,556.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,178 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,966,880.88. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.63% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on LECO. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $220.00 to $212.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. StockNews.com upgraded Lincoln Electric from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Lincoln Electric from $184.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $221.67.

Lincoln Electric Company 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.