Dividend
The Company’s Board of Directors declared a 14.3% increase in the quarterly cash dividend, from $0.56 per share to $0.64 per share, or $2.56 per share on an annual basis. The declared quarterly cash dividend of $0.64 per share is payable January 13, 2023 to shareholders of record as of December 31, 2022.
Other Matters
On October 14, 2022, the Company entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Fori Automation, Inc. (the “contemplated acquisition”), a privately held, leading automation engineering firm specializing in the design and manufacture of complex, multi-armed automated welding systems, assembly systems, material handling solutions, large-scale, industrial guidance vehicles (AGVs) and end of line testing systems. The definitive agreement provides for a cash purchase price of $427 million, subject to a customary working capital adjustment. The Company intends to fund the transaction with cash on hand and arranged credit. The contemplated acquisition is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Webcast Information
A conference call to discuss third quarter 2022 financial results will be webcast live today, October 27, 2022, at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time. Those interested in participating via webcast in listen-only mode can access the event here or on the Company's Investor Relations home page at https://ir.lincolnelectric.com. For participants who would like to participate via telephone, please register here to receive the dial-in number along with a unique PIN number that is required to access the call. A replay of the earnings call will be available via webcast on the Company's website.
About Lincoln Electric
Lincoln Electric is the world leader in the engineering, design, and manufacturing of advanced arc welding solutions, automated joining, assembly and cutting systems, plasma and oxy-fuel cutting equipment, and has a leading global position in brazing and soldering alloys. Lincoln is recognized as the Welding Expert™ for its leading materials science, software development, automation engineering, and application expertise, which advance customers’ fabrication capabilities to help them build a better world. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Lincoln has 56 manufacturing locations in 19 countries and a worldwide network of distributors and sales offices serving customers in over 160 countries. For more information about Lincoln Electric and its products and services, visit the Company’s website at https://www.lincolnelectric.com.
Non-GAAP Information
Adjusted operating income, Adjusted net income, Adjusted EBIT, Adjusted effective tax rate, Adjusted diluted earnings per share (“Adjusted EPS”), Organic sales, Cash conversion, Adjusted net operating profit after taxes and Adjusted return on invested capital (“Adjusted ROIC”) are non-GAAP financial measures. Management uses non-GAAP measures to assess the Company's operating performance by excluding certain disclosed special items that management believes are not representative of the Company's core business. Management believes that excluding these special items enables them to make better period-over-period comparisons and benchmark the Company's operational performance against other companies in its industry more meaningfully. Furthermore, management believes that non-GAAP financial measures provide investors with meaningful information that provides a more complete understanding of Company operating results and enables investors to analyze financial and business trends more thoroughly. Non-GAAP financial measures should not be viewed in isolation, are not a substitute for GAAP measures and have limitations including, but not limited to, their usefulness as comparative measures as other companies may define their non-GAAP measures differently.
Forward-Looking Statements
The Company’s expectations and beliefs concerning the future contained in this news release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements reflect management’s current expectations and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “forecast,” “guidance” or words of similar meaning. Actual results may differ materially from such statements due to a variety of factors that could adversely affect the Company’s operating results. The factors include, but are not limited to: general economic, financial and market conditions; the effectiveness of operating initiatives; completion of planned divestitures; interest rates; disruptions, uncertainty or volatility in the credit markets that may limit our access to capital;