81,000 Shares in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Bought by Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc.

Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 81,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,102,000. Adams Diversified Equity Fund Inc. owned approximately 0.15% of Lincoln Electric as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,156 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $240,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Lincoln Electric by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,752 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $363,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership increased its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 8.7% during the 2nd quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 601 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $125,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Claret Asset Management Corp raised its position in Lincoln Electric by 5.0% during the second quarter. Claret Asset Management Corp now owns 1,112 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $231,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 2.1% in the second quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,709 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $562,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of Lincoln Electric stock opened at $251.71 on Wednesday. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $161.11 and a fifty-two week high of $252.00. The business’s fifty day moving average is $237.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $234.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market cap of $13.85 billion, a PE ratio of 26.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.26.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.39 by $0.08. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 40.33% and a net margin of 12.56%.The firm had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.05 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.14 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This is an increase from Lincoln Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Lincoln Electric’s payout ratio is currently 33.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $235.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Wall Street Zen cut Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Lincoln Electric from $265.00 to $252.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $244.83.

Lincoln Electric 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.