Nordea Investment Management AB Sells 5,394 Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Key Points

• Nordea Investment Management AB sold 5,394 shares of Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) in the fourth quarter, a 12.5% reduction that left it with 37,690 shares worth about $9.10 million (roughly 0.07% of the company).
• Lincoln Electric reported quarterly EPS of $2.65, beating estimates by $0.12, with revenue of $1.08 billion (up 5.5% YoY), a net margin of 12.3% and a return on equity of 39.35%.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.79 ($3.16 annualized, ~1.2% yield; ex-dividend March 31), and analysts maintain an average "Moderate Buy" rating with a $302.83 average price target (KeyCorp raised its target to $340).

Nordea Investment Management AB lowered its position in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Free Report) by 12.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,690 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 5,394 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB owned about 0.07% of Lincoln Electric worth $9,096,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in Lincoln Electric in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3,700.0% during the third quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 114 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 82.4% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 155 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 3,860.0% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 198 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.61% of the company's stock.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

Shares of LECO stock opened at $256.56 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.07 billion, a PE ratio of 27.53, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.24. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $272.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $250.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.82 and a quick ratio of 1.16. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $161.11 and a one year high of $310.00.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.12. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 39.35%. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.57 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 9.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. Lincoln Electric's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on LECO shares. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of 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 downgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $297.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $253.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $302.83.

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.

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