ABN Amro Investment Solutions Sells 2,550 Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

ABN Amro Investment Solutions cut its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 25.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,635 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,550 shares during the quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions’ holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $1,902,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 980.8% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 281 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric during the fourth quarter worth $64,000. Finally, United Community Bank bought a new position in Lincoln Electric in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Lincoln Electric

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

Lincoln Electric Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of LECO opened at $251.47 on Friday. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $216.22 and a fifty-two week high of $310.00. The business has a 50-day moving average of $259.93 and a 200 day moving average of $263.37. The firm has a market cap of $13.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.83.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.42 by $0.08. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.38% and a return on equity of 39.33%. The company had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.16 EPS. Lincoln Electric’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.85 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors 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 yield of 1.3%. Lincoln Electric’s payout ratio is 32.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LECO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $250.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Lincoln Electric from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $299.38.

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.