Headlands Technologies LLC Has $1.83 Million Stake in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 106.0% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 6,878 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,539 shares during the quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $1,826,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LECO. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the second quarter valued at about $656,165,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 24,685.8% during the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,839,568 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $956,360,000 after buying an additional 3,824,077 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Lincoln Electric in the 4th quarter valued at about $415,155,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new position in Lincoln Electric in the 2nd quarter valued at about $52,700,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,306,641 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $313,175,000 after acquiring an additional 6,070 shares during the period. 79.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

LECO opened at $281.23 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.98. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $216.22 and a 52-week high of $310.00. The firm has a market cap of $15.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.20. The business’s fifty day moving average is $267.50 and its 200-day moving average is $265.79.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.35% and a return on equity of 39.23%. Lincoln Electric’s revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.60 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 11.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be given a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Lincoln Electric’s payout ratio is presently 31.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln Electric

In related news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.81, for a total transaction of $232,214.45. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 9,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,560,954.39. This trade represents a 8.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.68% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LECO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upgraded Lincoln Electric from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $257.00 to $283.00 in a report on Monday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen raised Lincoln Electric from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. DA Davidson began coverage on Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. UBS Group assumed coverage on Lincoln Electric in a report on Monday, August 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $340.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lincoln Electric currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $307.22.

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.