Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Holdings Boosted by Hillsdale Investment Management Inc.

Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 25.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares during the quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $3,797,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Syon Capital LLC raised its position in Lincoln Electric by 11.7% during the third quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 3,778 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $891,000 after buying an additional 396 shares during the period. First National Bank of Omaha purchased a new position in Lincoln Electric during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,852,000. Beirne Wealth Consulting Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the 3rd quarter valued at about $249,000. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3,950.0% in the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 324 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 20.4% in the third quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 3,399 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $802,000 after purchasing an additional 577 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Trading Down 0.7%

Lincoln Electric stock opened at $286.13 on Monday. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $161.11 and a one year high of $310.00. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $262.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $246.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.82 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The company has a market capitalization of $15.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.70, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.26.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.35% and a net margin of 12.30%.The firm’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.57 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.91%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $297.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird set a $330.00 price objective on Lincoln Electric in a report on Friday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $253.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $240.00 target price on Lincoln Electric and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $302.83.

About Lincoln Electric

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.