Lesaka Technologies, Inc. $LSAK Shares Acquired by Rathbones Group PLC

Key Points

• In Q4, Rathbones Group PLC increased its stake in Lesaka Technologies to 3,644,420 shares (about 4.33% of the company) after buying 225,000 shares, signaling notable institutional interest.
• Major shareholder Finance Corp International sold 87,041 shares on March 17 and insiders have sold a total of 384,409 shares (~$1.91M) in the past 90 days, while corporate insiders now own 3.40% of the stock.
• Lesaka reported Q4 EPS of $0.08 (beating $0.04 consensus) but missed on revenue ($93.4M vs. $166M estimate) and remains unprofitable with negative net margin and a negative projected FY EPS, market cap ≈ $413M.

Rathbones Group PLC increased its position in Lesaka Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:LSAK - Free Report) by 6.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,644,420 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 225,000 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC owned about 4.33% of Lesaka Technologies worth $17,384,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Separately, Citadel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Lesaka Technologies by 26.4% in the third quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 18,977 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 3,959 shares during the last quarter. 24.19% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Finance Corp International sold 87,041 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.31, for a total transaction of $462,187.71. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 5,829,926 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $30,956,907.06. This represents a 1.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 384,409 shares of company stock worth $1,912,214 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 3.40% of the company's stock.

Lesaka Technologies Stock Performance

NASDAQ:LSAK opened at $4.92 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $4.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $4.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The firm has a market cap of $412.89 million, a PE ratio of -7.81 and a beta of 0.39. Lesaka Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $3.39 and a 1-year high of $5.54.

Lesaka Technologies (NASDAQ:LSAK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.04 by $0.04. Lesaka Technologies had a negative net margin of 7.87% and a negative return on equity of 28.23%. The firm had revenue of $93.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $166.00 million. On average, equities analysts expect that Lesaka Technologies, Inc. will post -0.16 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LSAK. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lesaka Technologies to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Lesaka Technologies in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Lesaka Technologies from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce".

Lesaka Technologies Company Profile

Lesaka Technologies, Inc operates as a Fintech company that utilizes its proprietary banking and payment technologies to deliver financial services solutions to merchants (B2B) and consumers (B2C) in Southern Africa. It offers cash management solutions, growth capital, card acquiring, bill payment technologies, and value-added services to formal and informal retail merchants, as well as banking, lending, and insurance solutions to consumers across Southern Africa. The company also engages in the sale of POS devices, SIM cards, and other consumables; and license of rights to use certain technology developed by the company, as well as offers related technology services.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.