Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) Short Interest Update

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 737,685 shares, a decrease of 24.1% from the November 30th total of 971,910 shares. Approximately 1.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 294,082 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.5 days. Based on an average trading volume of 294,082 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.5 days. Approximately 1.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Institutional Trading of Lincoln Electric

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 3,700.0% in the third quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 114 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Lincoln Electric during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its stake in Lincoln Electric by 82.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 155 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3,860.0% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 198 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on LECO shares. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $265.00 to $252.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Roth Capital set a $285.00 price target on Lincoln Electric and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Lincoln Electric from $235.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Lincoln Electric from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $244.83.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LECO traded down $1.98 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $243.37. 179,377 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 262,899. The firm has a market cap of $13.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.06, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.25. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $237.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $233.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. Lincoln Electric has a twelve month low of $161.11 and a twelve month high of $252.00.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39 by $0.08. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.56% and a return on equity of 40.33%. The business had revenue of $1.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.05 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.14 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Lincoln Electric will post 9.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from Lincoln Electric’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.12%.

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.