SG Americas Securities LLC Has $5.07 Million Stock Position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Key Points

• SG Americas Securities LLC sharply reduced its Lincoln Electric stake in the first quarter, cutting holdings by 81.9% to 20,347 shares valued at about $5.07 million.
• Lincoln Electric posted a strong quarter, with EPS of $2.50 beating estimates and revenue of $1.12 billion rising 11.7% year over year; the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.79 per share.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: Barclays raised its price target to $300 and rated the stock overweight, while the broader consensus is currently Hold with an average price target of $299.

SG Americas Securities LLC lessened its stake in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Free Report) by 81.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,347 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 92,161 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $5,068,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hilltop Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Lincoln Electric by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 1,832 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $439,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 4,361 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. raised its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 4,314 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,034,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP raised its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 1,563 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $375,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 823 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $197,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.61% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on LECO. Barclays upped their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $250.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Lincoln Electric from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, May 17th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lincoln Electric from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Friday, May 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln Electric has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $299.00.

Lincoln Electric Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LECO opened at $264.15 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.83 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The business has a 50-day moving average of $263.96 and a 200-day moving average of $262.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.26, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.21. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $205.36 and a fifty-two week high of $310.00.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.42 by $0.08. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.33% and a net margin of 12.38%.The business had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.16 earnings per share. Lincoln Electric's revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid 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 1.2%. Lincoln Electric's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.61%.

Insider Activity at Lincoln Electric

In other news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.81, for a total value of $232,214.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 9,319 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,560,954.39. This represents a 8.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.68% of the company's stock.

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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