19,520 Shares in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Bought by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 19,520 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $690,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LECO. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the 2nd quarter valued at about $656,165,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 3,824,077 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Lincoln Electric in the 4th quarter worth approximately $415,155,000. Algebris UK Ltd. purchased a new position in Lincoln Electric in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $44,811,000. Finally, Advisors Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Lincoln Electric in the second quarter valued at approximately $21,914,000. 79.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln Electric

In related news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.81, for a total transaction of $232,214.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,560,954.39. This trade represents a 8.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.68% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LECO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Lincoln Electric from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $257.00 to $283.00 in a research report on Monday, August 10th. UBS Group started coverage on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Monday, August 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $340.00 price target on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lincoln Electric presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $307.22.

Lincoln Electric Stock Up 3.6%

NASDAQ:LECO opened at $290.12 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.98 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $266.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $266.03. The company has a market capitalization of $15.81 billion, a PE ratio of 28.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.20. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $216.22 and a 1-year high of $310.00.

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

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. Lincoln Electric’s payout ratio is currently 31.57%.

Lincoln Electric Company 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.