Heartland Advisors Inc. Has $5.95 Million Holdings in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Heartland Advisors Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 40.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,216 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 17,043 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $5,947,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the second quarter worth $354,063,000. Boston Partners acquired a new position in Lincoln Electric during the 2nd quarter worth $141,550,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 439.8% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 596,617 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $123,691,000 after acquiring an additional 486,090 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH grew its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 239.5% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 184,191 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $43,438,000 after purchasing an additional 129,932 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 5.6% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,558,783 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $323,167,000 after purchasing an additional 83,035 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of Lincoln Electric stock opened at $287.27 on Wednesday. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $161.11 and a 12 month high of $310.00. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $259.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $245.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market cap of $15.81 billion, a PE ratio of 30.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.26.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.09 billion. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 39.35%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.57 EPS. Research analysts predict that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 9.36 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LECO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Lincoln Electric from $253.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley set a $240.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. KeyCorp lifted their target price on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Barclays boosted their price target on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $297.00 price objective (up previously from $285.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $302.83.

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.