ING Groep NV Sells 13,500 Shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

ING Groep NV lowered its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 46.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 15,700 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 13,500 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $3,762,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S grew its position in Lincoln Electric by 15.7% during the fourth quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 24,550 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,883,000 after buying an additional 3,325 shares during the period. Pinebridge Investments LLC bought a new position in Lincoln Electric during the fourth quarter valued at about $846,000. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP grew its position in Lincoln Electric by 19.4% during the fourth quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 337,725 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $80,932,000 after buying an additional 54,762 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Lincoln Electric by 94.4% during the fourth quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,442 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $825,000 after buying an additional 1,671 shares during the period. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Lincoln Electric by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 14,035 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,363,000 after buying an additional 508 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LECO has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $280.00 price target (down from $350.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Robert W. Baird set a $330.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $296.00.

Lincoln Electric Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LECO opened at $260.96 on Tuesday. 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 $14.30 billion, a PE ratio of 26.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.21. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $199.13 and a twelve month high of $310.00. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $258.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $258.98.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last issued its 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. The firm had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.38% and a return on equity of 39.33%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.16 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.81 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.61%.

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.