UBS Group AG Sells 82,892 Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Key Points

• UBS Group AG cut its stake in Lincoln Electric by 23.6% in Q4, selling 82,892 shares and retaining 268,791 shares (about 0.49% ownership) valued at roughly $64.41 million.
• Analyst opinions are mixed — four Buy, three Hold and one Sell — leaving a MarketBeat consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $296.00.
• Lincoln Electric beat quarterly estimates with $2.50 EPS (vs. $2.42) and $1.12B revenue (vs. $1.07B), saw revenue rise 11.7% year-over-year, and announced a $0.79 quarterly dividend (annualized $3.16, ~1.2% yield; ex-dividend June 30).

UBS Group AG lowered its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO - Free Report) by 23.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 268,791 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 82,892 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned 0.49% of Lincoln Electric worth $64,413,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kera Capital Partners Inc. increased its position in Lincoln Electric by 2.8% in the third quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 1,692 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $399,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Profund Advisors LLC increased its position in Lincoln Electric by 3.8% in the third quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 1,264 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $298,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its position in Lincoln Electric by 2.6% in the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 1,992 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $470,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its position in Lincoln Electric by 1.9% in the third quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 2,873 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $678,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Lincoln Electric by 1.6% in the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,407 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $803,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.61% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on LECO shares. Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating and issued a $297.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $300.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Monday. Finally, 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. Four 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $296.00.

Lincoln Electric Stock Down 1.6%

NASDAQ LECO opened at $262.06 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The company has a fifty day moving average of $261.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $253.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.04, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.24. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $179.71 and a 52 week high of $310.00.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.38% and a return on equity of 39.33%. Lincoln Electric's quarterly revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. Lincoln Electric's payout ratio is currently 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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