Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO Shares Bought by Threadgill Financial LLC

Threadgill Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 519.1% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 24,646 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 20,665 shares during the period. Lincoln Electric makes up 2.7% of Threadgill Financial LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Threadgill Financial LLC’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $6,544,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in Lincoln Electric by 7.8% in the 4th 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. K.J. Harrison & Partners Inc bought a new position in Lincoln Electric during the 4th quarter worth $1,677,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric during the fourth quarter worth $415,155,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,306,641 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $313,175,000 after buying an additional 6,070 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 23.2% in the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 64,257 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $16,005,000 after acquiring an additional 12,093 shares during the period. 79.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on LECO shares. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday, June 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $320.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 target price on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Five equities research 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, Lincoln Electric presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $299.38.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of Lincoln Electric stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.81, for a total value of $232,214.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 9,319 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,560,954.39. This trade represents a 8.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.68% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Stock Down 0.2%

LECO stock opened at $278.91 on Friday. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $216.22 and a 52 week high of $310.00. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $260.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $264.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The company has a market cap of $15.20 billion, a PE ratio of 27.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.20.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.12. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.35% and a return on equity of 39.23%. The firm had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.60 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 11.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th will be given a dividend of $0.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.57%.

About Lincoln Electric

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.