Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Shares Purchased by Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV

Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 37.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,901 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,317 shares during the quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $3,811,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3,700.0% during the 3rd quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 114 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3,860.0% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 198 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 109.4% during the 3rd quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 201 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of LECO opened at $238.05 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.28. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $270.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $250.86. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $161.11 and a twelve month high of $310.00.

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

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.91%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LECO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Weiss Ratings lowered Lincoln Electric from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Barclays reduced their price target on Lincoln Electric from $310.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 1st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Lincoln Electric from $253.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $297.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lincoln Electric presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $296.29.

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.