Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) Short Interest Update

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 937,435 shares, an increase of 62.3% from the March 15th total of 577,622 shares. Currently, 1.7% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 346,519 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.7 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on LECO. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $297.00 price target (up from $285.00) on shares of Lincoln Electric in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $280.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Lincoln Electric from $240.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Lincoln Electric from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $330.00 price target on shares of Lincoln Electric in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $291.14.

Lincoln Electric Stock Down 2.3%

LECO stock traded down $6.06 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $256.24. 124,936 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 370,058. The company has a current ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. Lincoln Electric has a 52-week low of $169.69 and a 52-week high of $310.00. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $269.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $251.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.49, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.28.

Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.12. Lincoln Electric had a net margin of 12.30% and a return on equity of 39.35%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Lincoln Electric will post 9.36 EPS for the current year.

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.79 per share. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. Lincoln Electric’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.91%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lincoln Electric

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lincoln Electric in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Lincoln Electric by 3,700.0% during the 3rd quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 114 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln Electric in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. 79.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.