Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 86.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,691 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 10,701 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $405,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the third quarter worth $1,020,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in Lincoln Electric by 239.5% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 184,191 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $43,438,000 after acquiring an additional 129,932 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its stake in Lincoln Electric by 18.9% in the third quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH now owns 34,628 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $8,166,000 after acquiring an additional 5,512 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. increased its stake in Lincoln Electric by 13.0% in the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 86,305 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $20,353,000 after acquiring an additional 9,897 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its stake in Lincoln Electric by 9.1% in the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 58,843 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $13,877,000 after acquiring an additional 4,898 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

NASDAQ LECO opened at $238.05 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $270.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $250.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $161.11 and a 12-month high of $310.00. The firm has a market cap of $13.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.54, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.28.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.12. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 39.35%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.57 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 9.36 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LECO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $330.00 target price on Lincoln Electric in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Lincoln Electric from $253.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen cut Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. KeyCorp increased their target price on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Lincoln Electric from $240.00 to $247.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $296.29.

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.