Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Increases Holdings in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 18.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 34,628 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 5,512 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.06% of Lincoln Electric worth $8,166,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LECO. Oak Thistle LLC purchased a new position in Lincoln Electric in the 3rd quarter worth $1,020,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 216.1% during the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 53,945 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $11,184,000 after buying an additional 36,878 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 13.0% in the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 86,305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $20,353,000 after buying an additional 9,897 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 10.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 106,746 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $22,131,000 after acquiring an additional 9,974 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 49.7% during the 2nd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 119,643 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $24,804,000 after acquiring an additional 39,700 shares during the period. 79.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

Shares of LECO stock opened at $258.64 on Monday. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $244.33 and a 200 day moving average of $238.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.69, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.26. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $161.11 and a 52 week high of $264.87.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on LECO. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Lincoln Electric from $209.00 to $208.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Lincoln Electric from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Zacks Research lowered shares of Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Thursday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.00.

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.