Lakeland Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAKE) Short Interest Update

Lakeland Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAKE) saw a large decline in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 117,200 shares, a decline of 22.9% from the January 15th total of 152,100 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 70,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.7 days.

Lakeland Industries Stock Down 1.9 %

Lakeland Industries stock traded down $0.46 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $24.03. The company had a trading volume of 20,528 shares, compared to its average volume of 117,908. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 4.23 and a quick ratio of 1.77. Lakeland Industries has a 1 year low of $15.10 and a 1 year high of $27.28. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $24.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $22.38.

Lakeland Industries (NASDAQ:LAKE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.39). Lakeland Industries had a positive return on equity of 1.66% and a negative net margin of 0.42%. On average, analysts forecast that Lakeland Industries will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Lakeland Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be given a $0.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.50%. Lakeland Industries’s payout ratio is presently -133.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Roth Mkm upped their price target on shares of Lakeland Industries from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lakeland Industries from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lakeland Industries news, Director Nikki Hamblin bought 1,590 shares of Lakeland Industries stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $22.00 per share, for a total transaction of $34,980.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 17,452 shares in the company, valued at approximately $383,944. This represents a 10.02 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO James M. Jenkins bought 990 shares of Lakeland Industries stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $25.35 per share, for a total transaction of $25,096.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 990 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,096.50. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have acquired 11,208 shares of company stock valued at $253,520. Corporate insiders own 4.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lakeland Industries

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LAKE. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lakeland Industries during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $494,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lakeland Industries during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $362,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Lakeland Industries by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 14,799 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $378,000 after purchasing an additional 635 shares in the last quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP increased its stake in Lakeland Industries by 261.9% during the 4th quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP now owns 98,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,515,000 after purchasing an additional 71,224 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. acquired a new position in Lakeland Industries during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $160,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.69% of the company’s stock.

About Lakeland Industries

Lakeland Industries, Inc manufactures and sells industrial protective clothing and accessories for the industrial and public protective clothing market worldwide. It offers firefighting and heat protective apparel to protect against fire; high-end chemical protective suits to provide protection from highly concentrated, toxic and/or lethal chemicals, and biological toxins; and limited use/disposable protective clothing, such as coveralls, laboratory coats, shirts, pants, hoods, aprons, sleeves, arm guards, caps, and smocks.