Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Shares Sold by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 11.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 139,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 17,963 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC owned 0.25% of Lincoln Electric worth $33,322,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of LECO. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 3,700.0% in the 3rd quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 114 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Lincoln Electric during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 980.8% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 281 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of Lincoln Electric stock opened at $260.51 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $258.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $255.97. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $188.65 and a 12-month high of $310.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market cap of $14.27 billion, a PE ratio of 26.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.24.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be issued a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio is 32.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on LECO shares. Robert W. Baird set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price objective on Lincoln Electric in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $297.00 price objective (up from $285.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $280.00 target price (down from $350.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $296.00.

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.