Balyasny Asset Management L.P. Increases Position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO)

Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Free Report) by 15,932.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 336,682 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 334,582 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. owned approximately 0.60% of Lincoln Electric worth $63,118,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LECO. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 255.1% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 174 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 54.1% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 299 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 37.5% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 389 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the 4th quarter worth about $76,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.61% of the company's stock.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

Shares of LECO stock traded down $1.34 on Friday, reaching $185.87. The stock had a trading volume of 287,739 shares, compared to its average volume of 331,062. The stock has a market cap of $10.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.87. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $161.11 and a 1 year high of $238.47. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $185.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $195.54.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.22 by ($0.06). Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 40.19% and a net margin of 11.63%. The firm had revenue of $365.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $974.39 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.23 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 9.36 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. Lincoln Electric's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $242.00 to $212.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Lincoln Electric from $178.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Lincoln Electric from $179.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Lincoln Electric currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $216.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Steven B. Hedlund sold 21,054 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total value of $4,536,505.38. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 54,660 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,777,590.20. This trade represents a 27.81 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 2.63% of the company's stock.

Lincoln Electric Company Profile

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and sells welding, cutting, and brazing products worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Americas Welding, International Welding, and The Harris Products Group. It offers brazing and soldering filler metals, arc welding equipment, plasma and oxyfuel cutting systems, wire feeding systems, fume control equipment, welding accessories, and specialty gas regulators, and education solutions, as well as a portfolio of automated solutions for joining, cutting, material handling, module assembly, and end of line testing, as well as involved in brazing and soldering alloys, and in the retail business in the United States.