Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Shares Sold by Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO

Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO lowered its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 16.3% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 12,883 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,508 shares during the quarter. Lincoln Electric makes up approximately 1.1% of Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $3,038,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,020,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its position in Lincoln Electric by 216.1% in the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 53,945 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $11,184,000 after purchasing an additional 36,878 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its stake in Lincoln Electric by 18.9% during the 3rd quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 34,628 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $8,166,000 after purchasing an additional 5,512 shares in the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. increased its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 13.0% during the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 86,305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,353,000 after purchasing an additional 9,897 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 10.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 106,746 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $22,131,000 after buying an additional 9,974 shares in the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lincoln Electric Stock Up 4.2%

LECO opened at $267.77 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $14.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.71 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $247.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $239.44. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $161.11 and a fifty-two week high of $268.13.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.08. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.56% and a return on equity of 40.33%. The company had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.05 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.14 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 9.36 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LECO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $209.00 to $208.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Barclays increased their price target on Lincoln Electric from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $252.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.00.

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.