Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Sells 45,139 Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP reduced its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 8.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 497,628 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 45,139 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 0.91% of Lincoln Electric worth $123,936,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hilltop Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in Lincoln Electric by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 1,832 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $439,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 1.2% in 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 acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in Lincoln Electric by 9.4% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 606 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $151,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 4.6% during the first quarter. Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,241 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $318,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln Electric

In other news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.81, for a total value of $232,214.45. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.68% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of LECO opened at $256.85 on Tuesday. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $216.22 and a twelve month high of $310.00. The stock has a market cap of $14.07 billion, a PE ratio of 26.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.20. 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 business’s 50-day moving average price is $259.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $263.52.

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

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be given 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 is Wednesday, September 30th. Lincoln Electric’s payout ratio is 32.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on LECO. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Lincoln Electric from $250.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $299.38.

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.