Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Shares Sold by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP lessened its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 22.6% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 288,476 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 84,061 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $71,854,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Lincoln Electric by 3.8% during the first quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,177 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $293,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 1,832 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $439,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 4,361 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,045,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 9.4% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 606 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $151,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. lifted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 4,314 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,034,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LECO opened at $251.47 on Friday. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $216.22 and a 12 month high of $310.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.78 billion, a PE ratio of 25.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.20. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $259.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $263.37.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.16 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Lincoln Electric’s payout ratio is currently 32.61%.

Insider Activity at Lincoln Electric

In other Lincoln Electric news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of the company’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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 9,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,560,954.39. This represents a 8.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.68% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $280.00 price target (down from $350.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price objective on Lincoln Electric in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.