Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Holdings Raised by SG Americas Securities LLC

Key Points

• SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake by 1,089.7% in Q4, buying 103,051 shares to hold 112,508 shares (about 0.20% of Lincoln Electric) valued at roughly $26.96 million.
• Lincoln Electric beat EPS estimates, reporting $2.65 EPS vs. $2.53 expected and revenue of $1.08B (up 5.5% YoY), with strong profitability (ROE 39.35%, net margin 12.3%); analysts' consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $302.83.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.79 per share (annualized $3.16, yield 1.3%, ex-dividend March 31, payable April 15), while the stock has a market cap of $13.79B and a P/E of 26.98.

SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Free Report) by 1,089.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 112,508 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 103,051 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC owned about 0.20% of Lincoln Electric worth $26,961,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Lincoln Electric by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,850,816 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $436,478,000 after buying an additional 72,826 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $354,063,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 31.8% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 919,926 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $216,946,000 after acquiring an additional 221,853 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 24.6% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 850,201 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $200,517,000 after acquiring an additional 167,773 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 21.8% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 726,949 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $171,167,000 after purchasing an additional 130,332 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.61% of the company's stock.

Lincoln Electric Trading Down 2.0%

Lincoln Electric stock opened at $251.46 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $13.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.24. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $161.11 and a 1 year high of $310.00. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $272.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $250.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.82.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.35% and a net margin of 12.30%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 9.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Lincoln Electric's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on LECO. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen cut Lincoln Electric from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $297.00 price objective (up from $285.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $253.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $302.83.

Lincoln Electric 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.