SG Americas Securities LLC Sells 92,161 Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

SG Americas Securities LLC decreased its holdings in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 81.9% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 20,347 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 92,161 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $5,068,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LECO. Hilltop Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 1,832 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $439,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its stake in Lincoln Electric by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 4,361 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,045,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. raised its stake in Lincoln Electric by 1.2% in the 4th 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 period. Versor Investments LP lifted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 1,563 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $375,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 823 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $197,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.81, for a total transaction of $232,214.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.68% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on LECO. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $280.00 price target (down from $350.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Friday, May 1st. Five 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, Lincoln Electric has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $299.00.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

LECO opened at $264.15 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $263.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $262.25. The company has a market capitalization of $14.47 billion, a PE ratio of 27.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.21. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $205.36 and a 1 year 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.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.82 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

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

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.