SG Americas Securities LLC Invests $3.33 Million in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO)

SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 17,599 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $3,329,000.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,601,734 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,050,157,000 after buying an additional 18,805 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 15.6% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,735,527 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $325,359,000 after buying an additional 234,515 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the 4th quarter worth approximately $307,344,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,235,582 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $231,691,000 after buying an additional 31,033 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,163,119 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $218,050,000 after buying an additional 65,154 shares during the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lincoln Electric Stock Up 1.6%

Lincoln Electric stock traded up $3.16 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $204.43. The company had a trading volume of 384,348 shares, compared to its average volume of 320,170. The company has a current ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $189.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $193.68. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $161.11 and a 12 month high of $222.52. The company has a market capitalization of $11.41 billion, a PE ratio of 25.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.20.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.16 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $365.45 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $974.39 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.23 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. Lincoln Electric's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on LECO. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Lincoln Electric from $178.00 to $180.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Lincoln Electric from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. KeyCorp dropped their price target on Lincoln Electric from $245.00 to $225.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Lincoln Electric from $179.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Lincoln Electric from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $206.40.

About Lincoln Electric

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.