Lakeland Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAKE) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Lakeland Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAKE - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 198,900 shares, an increase of 22.8% from the March 31st total of 162,000 shares. Approximately 2.2% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 103,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on LAKE shares. StockNews.com raised Lakeland Industries to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Lake Street Capital initiated coverage on Lakeland Industries in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $30.00 price target on the stock. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their price objective on Lakeland Industries from $28.00 to $23.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lakeland Industries currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $27.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Lakeland Industries by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 14,799 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $378,000 after acquiring an additional 635 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its holdings in Lakeland Industries by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 43,892 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,121,000 after purchasing an additional 698 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lakeland Industries by 1.6% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 74,273 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,493,000 after purchasing an additional 1,177 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in Lakeland Industries during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Lakeland Industries by 16.3% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 14,012 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 1,965 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.69% of the company's stock.

Lakeland Industries Trading Down 0.3 %

LAKE traded down $0.06 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $16.44. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,171 shares, compared to its average volume of 62,432. The stock has a market cap of $156.12 million, a PE ratio of -184.33 and a beta of 1.10. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $18.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $21.46. Lakeland Industries has a twelve month low of $14.58 and a twelve month high of $27.28. 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 (NASDAQ:LAKE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 9th. The medical instruments supplier reported ($0.54) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.43 by ($0.97). Lakeland Industries had a positive return on equity of 1.66% and a negative net margin of 0.42%. The firm had revenue of $46.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $47.10 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.72 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Lakeland Industries will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Lakeland Industries Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.73%. Lakeland Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently -5.04%.

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.