1,995 Shares in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Acquired by Entropy Technologies LP

Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,995 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $497,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LECO. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 8.6% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,477 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $468,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 553.4% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,137 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $215,000 after buying an additional 963 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 362,561 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $68,582,000 after buying an additional 29,505 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 8.7% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 137,540 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,017,000 after buying an additional 10,961 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Lincoln Electric by 980.8% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 281 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lincoln Electric Trading Down 3.5%

Shares of LECO stock opened at $257.99 on Thursday. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $216.22 and a twelve month high of $310.00. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $260.06 and its 200 day simple moving average is $263.72. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $14.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.20.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last posted 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. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.33% and a net margin of 12.38%.The firm had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.16 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.61%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 9,319 shares in the company, valued at $2,560,954.39. This trade represents a 8.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.68% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on LECO shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. DA Davidson began coverage on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric from $250.00 to $253.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $299.38.

About Lincoln Electric

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.