Lakeland Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAKE) Short Interest Up 81.2% in February

Lakeland Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAKE) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 212,400 shares, an increase of 81.2% from the January 31st total of 117,200 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 74,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.9 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lakeland Industries

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LAKE. Royce & Associates LP lifted its holdings in shares of Lakeland Industries by 16.7% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 851,980 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $21,768,000 after purchasing an additional 121,760 shares in the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC increased its position in Lakeland Industries by 112.5% in the fourth quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 149,493 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,820,000 after buying an additional 79,148 shares during the last quarter. Peapod Lane Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Lakeland Industries in the fourth quarter worth $2,018,000. Susquehanna International Group LLP grew its position in shares of Lakeland Industries by 261.9% in the fourth 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, Expect Equity LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lakeland Industries in the fourth quarter valued at $1,809,000. Institutional investors own 71.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Roth Mkm lifted their price objective on Lakeland Industries from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th.

Lakeland Industries Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LAKE traded up $0.11 during trading on Friday, reaching $23.60. 34,948 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 90,619. The company’s 50 day moving average is $24.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $224.18 million, a PE ratio of -262.22 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Lakeland Industries has a 52 week low of $15.10 and a 52 week high of $27.28.

Lakeland Industries (NASDAQ:LAKE) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lakeland Industries will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Lakeland Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 24th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.51%. Lakeland Industries’s dividend payout ratio is currently -133.33%.

Lakeland Industries Company Profile

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.