ABN Amro Investment Solutions Sells 2,550 Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

ABN Amro Investment Solutions reduced its stake in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 25.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,635 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,550 shares during the quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions’ holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $1,902,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LECO. Diamant Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 24,685.8% in the 1st quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,839,568 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $956,360,000 after acquiring an additional 3,824,077 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Lincoln Electric in the 4th quarter worth approximately $415,155,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,306,641 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $313,175,000 after buying an additional 6,070 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 14.1% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,280,116 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $306,767,000 after acquiring an additional 158,305 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp grew its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 5,862.4% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,271,364 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $304,670,000 after acquiring an additional 1,250,041 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Lincoln Electric from $250.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Friday, May 1st. DA Davidson assumed coverage on Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $320.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised Lincoln Electric from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $299.38.

Lincoln Electric Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of LECO stock opened at $251.47 on Friday. 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 market capitalization of $13.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.20. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $259.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $263.37. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $216.22 and a 12-month high of $310.00.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.42 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.33% and a net margin of 12.38%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.16 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be issued a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln Electric

In related news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.81, for a total transaction of $232,214.45. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 9,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,560,954.39. This trade represents a 8.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.68% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.