Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Shares Sold by Trillium Asset Management LLC

Trillium Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 16.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 35,286 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 7,176 shares during the period. Trillium Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $8,790,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Wealthspire Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 40.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 1,772 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $425,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 3,678 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $881,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec increased its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 7,604 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,822,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric during the 4th quarter worth about $373,000. Finally, SMA Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric during the 4th quarter worth about $6,231,000. 79.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $330.00 target price on Lincoln Electric in a report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays raised their target price on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. 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. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 target price on Lincoln Electric in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, May 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $296.00.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

Shares of LECO opened at $258.25 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $259.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $259.67. 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 market capitalization of $14.15 billion, a PE ratio of 26.65, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.21. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $199.13 and a 1 year high of $310.00.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.42 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.16 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 30th. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.61%.

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.