Danske Bank A S Sells 4,250 Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Key Points

• Danske Bank A S cut its position in Lincoln Electric by 89.5% in Q4, selling 4,250 shares and leaving 500 shares worth $120,000 according to its 13F filing.
• Analysts are mixed: the stock has a consensus rating of Hold with an average price target of $296, while individual targets range from $250 (Morgan Stanley) to $340 (KeyCorp).
• Lincoln Electric beat Q1 expectations with $2.50 EPS vs. $2.42 estimated and $1.12B revenue, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.79 (annualized $3.16), implying about a 1.1% yield.

Danske Bank A S cut its position in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Free Report) by 89.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 500 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 4,250 shares during the quarter. Danske Bank A S's holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $120,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3,700.0% during the 3rd quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 114 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Eastern Bank raised its position in Lincoln Electric by 109.4% in the 3rd quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 201 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Lincoln Electric by 980.8% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 281 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on LECO shares. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 target price on Lincoln Electric in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Monday. Wall Street Zen cut Lincoln Electric from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Lincoln Electric from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln Electric has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $296.00.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

Shares of LECO stock opened at $274.89 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.37, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $261.07 and a 200 day moving average of $254.19. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $180.16 and a 52 week 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.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.42 by $0.08. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.38% and a return on equity of 39.33%. The business had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.16 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued 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 1.1%. 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.

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