Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Shares Sold by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Hsbc Holdings PLC decreased its position in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 11.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 14,981 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 1,936 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $3,602,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lincoln Electric during the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $64,000. United Community Bank acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $65,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 980.8% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 281 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln Electric

In other news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 9,319 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,560,954.39. The trade was a 8.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.68% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Price Performance

Lincoln Electric stock opened at $266.56 on Monday. 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 one year low of $205.36 and a one year high of $310.00. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $263.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $262.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.21.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.42 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.38% and a return on equity of 39.33%. Lincoln Electric’s quarterly revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on LECO shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Monday, May 4th. DA Davidson began coverage on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, May 17th. 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 report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, 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. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $299.00.

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.