Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) Shares Acquired by Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 121.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 268,229 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 147,239 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $50,284,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 193,578 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,290,000 after buying an additional 2,465 shares during the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Lincoln Electric by 84.9% in the 4th quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 1,975 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $372,000 after acquiring an additional 907 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric during the 4th quarter worth $496,000. Vest Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 57.3% during the fourth quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 12,832 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,406,000 after purchasing an additional 4,675 shares during the last quarter. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter valued at $92,000. 79.61% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

Lincoln Electric stock opened at $191.25 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.20. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $169.51 and a 12 month high of $261.13. The company has a market cap of $10.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.18. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $195.66 and its 200-day moving average is $195.93.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on LECO shares. KeyCorp increased their target price on Lincoln Electric from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lincoln Electric from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Lincoln Electric from $216.00 to $211.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $229.50.

About Lincoln Electric

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and sells welding, cutting, and brazing products worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Americas Welding, International Welding, and The Harris Products Group. It offers brazing and soldering filler metals, arc welding equipment, plasma and oxyfuel cutting systems, wire feeding systems, fume control equipment, welding accessories, and specialty gas regulators, and education solutions, as well as a portfolio of automated solutions for joining, cutting, material handling, module assembly, and end of line testing, as well as involved in brazing and soldering alloys, and in the retail business in the United States.