Short Interest in LSI Industries Inc. (NASDAQ:LYTS) Increases By 24.2%

LSI Industries Inc. (NASDAQ:LYTS) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 601,500 shares, an increase of 24.2% from the August 15th total of 484,300 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 122,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.9 days. Currently, 2.4% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling at LSI Industries

In other news, CFO James E. Galeese sold 8,824 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.57, for a total transaction of $128,565.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 145,631 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,121,843.67. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CFO James E. Galeese sold 8,824 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.57, for a total value of $128,565.68. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 145,631 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,121,843.67. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Thomas A. Caneris sold 9,748 shares of LSI Industries stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.57, for a total value of $142,028.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 98,656 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,437,417.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 51,903 shares of company stock worth $756,227 in the last 90 days. 7.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Swiss National Bank acquired a new position in shares of LSI Industries during the fourth quarter worth approximately $680,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of LSI Industries by 25.5% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 30,567 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $430,000 after purchasing an additional 6,203 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of LSI Industries by 23.9% in the fourth quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 35,921 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $506,000 after purchasing an additional 6,921 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in shares of LSI Industries by 12.7% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 40,265 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $567,000 after purchasing an additional 4,531 shares during the period. Finally, First Eagle Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of LSI Industries by 26.6% during the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 283,142 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,987,000 after purchasing an additional 59,542 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price target on shares of LSI Industries in a research report on Friday, August 16th.

LSI Industries Stock Performance

Shares of LSI Industries stock traded up $0.15 on Tuesday, reaching $15.52. 116,090 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 111,426. The firm has a market cap of $452.10 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.53 and a beta of 0.87. LSI Industries has a 1-year low of $11.44 and a 1-year high of $17.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 2.17. The company’s 50-day moving average is $15.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $15.06.

LSI Industries (NASDAQ:LYTS) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 15th. The construction company reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.01. LSI Industries had a return on equity of 12.97% and a net margin of 5.32%. The firm had revenue of $129.01 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $127.28 million. As a group, research analysts expect that LSI Industries will post 0.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LSI Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 26th were paid a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. LSI Industries’s payout ratio is 21.51%.

About LSI Industries

LSI Industries Inc produces and sells non-residential lighting and retail display solutions in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Latin America. It operates through two segments, Lighting and Display Solutions. The Lighting segment manufactures, markets, and sells non-residential outdoor and indoor lighting fixture and control solutions in the commercial and industrial markets.