Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $299.3750.

LECO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Friday, May 1st. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $320.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $280.00 price objective (down from $350.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th.

Lincoln Electric Trading Up 0.4%

Lincoln Electric stock opened at $251.47 on Friday. Lincoln Electric has a 12 month low of $216.22 and a 12 month high of $310.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market cap of $13.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.20. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $259.93 and its 200-day simple moving average 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Lincoln Electric will post 10.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln Electric

In other news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of Lincoln Electric 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 sale, the executive vice president 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.68% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dagco Inc. bought a new stake in Lincoln Electric in the 2nd quarter valued at $531,000. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 10.2% in the 2nd quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,852 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,554,000 after buying an additional 541 shares in the last quarter. Threadgill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 519.1% during the 2nd quarter. Threadgill Financial LLC now owns 24,646 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,544,000 after acquiring an additional 20,665 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 11.5% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,940 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $515,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 20.1% during the 2nd quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,058 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $546,000 after acquiring an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.