Inspire Investing LLC Has $336,000 Stock Position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Inspire Investing LLC cut its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 79.5% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,347 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 5,225 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $336,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hilltop Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 1,832 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $439,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its stake in Lincoln Electric by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 4,361 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,045,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. grew its position in Lincoln Electric by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 4,314 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,034,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Versor Investments LP raised its stake in Lincoln Electric by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 1,563 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $375,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Lincoln Electric by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 823 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $197,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on LECO shares. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 17th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Lincoln Electric from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $280.00 price target (down from $350.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lincoln Electric currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $299.00.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LECO opened at $258.43 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $263.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $262.64. The stock has a market cap of $14.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.20. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $213.71 and a 52-week high of $310.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.83.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.42 by $0.08. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.38% and a return on equity of 39.33%. The company had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.16 earnings per share. Lincoln Electric’s revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.82 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Lincoln Electric

In other news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.81, for a total value of $232,214.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 9,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,560,954.39. This represents a 8.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.68% of the company’s stock.

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.