Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO Decreases Stock Holdings in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO reduced its holdings in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 20.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,803 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,452 shares during the period. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $2,442,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 8.6% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,477 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $468,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in Lincoln Electric by 553.4% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,137 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $215,000 after purchasing an additional 963 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 8.9% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 362,561 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $68,582,000 after purchasing an additional 29,505 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 8.7% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 137,540 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $26,017,000 after purchasing an additional 10,961 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 980.8% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 281 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lincoln Electric news, EVP Michael J. Whitehead sold 845 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.81, for a total transaction of $232,214.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 9,319 shares in the company, valued at $2,560,954.39. This represents a 8.31% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on LECO shares. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $280.00 price target (down from $350.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, May 17th. Barclays raised their price objective 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $275.00 target price on Lincoln Electric in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lincoln Electric currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $299.00.

Lincoln Electric Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:LECO opened at $275.37 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $262.47 and its 200 day moving average is $261.06. The stock has a market cap of $15.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.21. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $199.13 and a 52-week high of $310.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.42 by $0.08. Lincoln Electric had a return on equity of 39.33% and a net margin of 12.38%.The business had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.16 EPS. Lincoln Electric’s revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.82 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th will be paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio is 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.