Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) Shares Sold by Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE

Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE trimmed its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,800 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $525,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Aristides Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Lincoln Electric during the 4th quarter worth about $288,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $153,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Lincoln Electric by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 6,120 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,147,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Mizuho Bank Ltd. acquired a new position in Lincoln Electric in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 34.9% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 3,505 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $657,000 after purchasing an additional 907 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.61% of the company’s stock.

Lincoln Electric Trading Down 4.1 %

Shares of LECO stock opened at $172.02 on Friday. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $168.29 and a fifty-two week high of $250.17. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $197.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $197.90. The stock has a market cap of $9.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The industrial products company reported $2.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.54. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 11.63% and a return on equity of 40.19%. The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $995.94 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 9.36 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Lincoln Electric from $216.00 to $211.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Lincoln Electric from $230.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Lincoln Electric from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lincoln Electric has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $233.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lincoln Electric

In related news, CEO Steven B. Hedlund sold 21,054 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total transaction of $4,536,505.38. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 54,660 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,777,590.20. This trade represents a 27.81 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 2.63% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Lincoln Electric

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and sells welding, cutting, and brazing products worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Americas Welding, International Welding, and The Harris Products Group. It offers brazing and soldering filler metals, arc welding equipment, plasma and oxyfuel cutting systems, wire feeding systems, fume control equipment, welding accessories, and specialty gas regulators, and education solutions, as well as a portfolio of automated solutions for joining, cutting, material handling, module assembly, and end of line testing, as well as involved in brazing and soldering alloys, and in the retail business in the United States.