Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Shares Sold by Quantinno Capital Management LP

Quantinno Capital Management LP lessened its position in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 4.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 228,160 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 9,827 shares during the quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP owned about 0.42% of Lincoln Electric worth $56,830,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LECO. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL grew its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3,475.4% in the third quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 51,307 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $12,100,000 after acquiring an additional 49,872 shares in the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 64,631 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $15,488,000 after purchasing an additional 4,655 shares during the period. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV grew its stake in Lincoln Electric by 37.3% during the 4th quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 15,901 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,811,000 after purchasing an additional 4,317 shares in the last quarter. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc purchased a new stake in Lincoln Electric during the 4th quarter worth about $1,677,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Lincoln Electric in the 4th quarter valued at about $415,155,000. 79.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lincoln Electric 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 transaction of $232,214.45. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 9,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,560,954.39. This trade represents a 8.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.68% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Trading Down 3.5%

NASDAQ:LECO opened at $257.99 on Thursday. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $216.22 and a 1 year high of $310.00. The stock has a market cap 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. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.83. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $260.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $263.72.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.42 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.33% and a net margin of 12.38%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on LECO shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $250.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $320.00 target price on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $299.38.

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.