Orange Investment Advisors Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. $LECO

Orange Investment Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) by 14.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 17,386 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,987 shares during the quarter. Orange Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Lincoln Electric were worth $4,167,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LECO. Diamant Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 15,491 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,712,000 after acquiring an additional 1,391 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Lincoln Electric by 112.9% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,399 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $575,000 after acquiring an additional 1,272 shares during the last quarter. Mach 1 Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter worth $561,000. Leonteq Securities AG bought a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric during the fourth quarter valued at $111,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of Lincoln Electric by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,238 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $297,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. 79.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lincoln Electric Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LECO opened at $260.08 on Friday. Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $188.65 and a 12-month high of $310.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $257.94 and a 200 day moving average of $256.15.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.42 by $0.08. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.38% and a return on equity of 39.33%. The business had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.16 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. will post 10.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

LECO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $297.00 target price (up from $285.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Friday, February 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $296.00.

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.