Quantbot Technologies LP Buys 11,613 Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO)

Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Free Report) by 153.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,182 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 11,613 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP's holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $3,683,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LECO. Elios Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric during the 3rd quarter valued at about $999,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in Lincoln Electric by 22.9% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 47,326 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $9,088,000 after purchasing an additional 8,819 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can grew its stake in Lincoln Electric by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 11,034 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $2,134,000 after buying an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP increased its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 237,935 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $45,688,000 after buying an additional 7,962 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,332 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $256,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lincoln Electric Trading Up 0.2 %

LECO stock traded up $0.48 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $216.62. 152,077 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 316,730. The company has a 50-day moving average of $198.85 and a 200-day moving average of $196.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.85. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $169.51 and a 1 year high of $261.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.22 billion, a PE ratio of 25.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.14.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.05 by $0.09. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 40.03% and a net margin of 11.93%. The firm had revenue of $983.76 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $988.07 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.40 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 8.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from Lincoln Electric's previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. Lincoln Electric's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LECO. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective 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 decreased 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. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on Lincoln Electric from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lincoln Electric presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $220.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln Electric

In other Lincoln Electric news, SVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.96, for a total value of $193,556.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,178 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,966,880.88. This trade represents a 8.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.63% of the company's stock.

About Lincoln Electric

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.