Lincoln Electric (NASDAQ:LECO) Hits New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:LECO)’s share price hit a new 52-week low on Friday . The stock traded as low as $168.29 and last traded at $172.02, with a volume of 459602 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $179.43.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp lifted their price target 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. Barclays raised their target price on Lincoln Electric from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Lincoln Electric from $216.00 to $211.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $233.60.

Lincoln Electric Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $197.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $197.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.18.

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

Lincoln Electric Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Lincoln Electric’s payout ratio is presently 36.81%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Steven B. Hedlund sold 21,054 shares of Lincoln Electric stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total value of $4,536,505.38. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 54,660 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,777,590.20. The trade was 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. Insiders own 2.63% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lincoln Electric

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of Lincoln Electric by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 89,314 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $16,895,000 after acquiring an additional 5,358 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Lincoln Electric by 19.3% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,178 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $408,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Lincoln Electric during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $68,000. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter worth $848,000. Finally, Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Lincoln Electric in the fourth quarter worth $551,000. 79.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.