Legal & General Group Plc Sells 15,221 Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Legal & General Group Plc trimmed its position in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 15.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 85,518 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 15,221 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $20,494,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in Lincoln Electric during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in Lincoln Electric during the fourth quarter valued at about $64,000. United Community Bank bought a new position in Lincoln Electric during the fourth quarter valued at about $65,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Lincoln Electric by 980.8% during 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 during the period. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in Lincoln Electric by 3,950.0% during the third quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 324 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the period. 79.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

LECO stock opened at $258.49 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $14.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.68, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.21. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $188.65 and a twelve 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $258.11 and a 200-day moving average of $257.60.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last released its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.33% and a net margin of 12.38%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.16 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.81 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Lincoln Electric’s payout ratio is presently 32.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on LECO shares. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $297.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen lowered Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, May 17th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price objective on Lincoln Electric in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $280.00 price objective (down from $350.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lincoln Electric currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $296.00.

Lincoln Electric Company 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.