ABN Amro Investment Solutions Sells 3,975 Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

ABN Amro Investment Solutions lessened its stake in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 28.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,185 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,975 shares during the period. ABN Amro Investment Solutions’ holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $2,441,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 3,700.0% in the third quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 114 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Lincoln Electric during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 980.8% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 281 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in Lincoln Electric during the fourth quarter valued at $64,000. 79.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lincoln Electric Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of LECO stock opened at $263.43 on Friday. 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 Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $188.65 and a 52-week high of $310.00. The company has a market capitalization of $14.43 billion, a PE ratio of 27.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.24. The business’s fifty day moving average is $257.88 and its 200 day moving average is $256.20.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.42 by $0.08. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.33% and a net margin of 12.38%.The company had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.16 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LECO has been the subject of several research reports. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Monday, May 4th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price objective on Lincoln Electric in a report on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Lincoln Electric from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $297.00 target price (up from $285.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln Electric has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $296.00.

About Lincoln Electric

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.