Lakeland Financial (LKFN) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

Lakeland Financial Corporation is a bank holding company based in Warsaw, Indiana, that operates through its principal subsidiary, Lakeland Bank. The company offers a full range of commercial and consumer banking services, including deposit products such as checking accounts, savings accounts and certificates of deposit, as well as a variety of loan offerings spanning commercial real estate, agricultural, mortgage, consumer and small-business lending.

Originally organized in 1893 as Kosciusko County State Bank, the enterprise reorganized as a bank holding company in 1984 to facilitate strategic growth and diversification. Over the decades, Lakeland Financial has steadily expanded its branch network across northern and central Indiana, serving both rural communities and regional urban centers. The company has maintained a focus on community banking principles, emphasizing personalized service and relationship-driven lending.

In addition to traditional banking services, Lakeland Financial supports clients through wealth management and trust services, offering financial planning, investment advisory and fiduciary solutions. Digital and mobile banking platforms enable customers to manage accounts, make payments and access cash management tools remotely. The company’s leadership team is headed by President and Chief Executive Officer Joseph E. Stolp Jr., who oversees operations and strategy aimed at balanced growth while preserving the bank’s community-oriented culture.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $58.10 to $60.11
• 50-Day Range: $58.73 to $68.73
• 52-Week Range: $50.00 to $78.61
• Volume: 105,793 shs
• Average Volume: 109,992 shs
• Market Capitalization: $1.53 billion
• P/E Ratio: 16.29
• Dividend Yield: 3.35%
• Price Target: $70.00
• Consensus Rating: Hold

Lakeland Financial Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Lakeland Financial scored higher than 69% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 511th out of 931 stocks in the finance sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 2.9 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Hold

Consensus Rating

Lakeland Financial has received a consensus rating of Hold. The company's average rating score is 2.33, and is based on 1 buy rating, 2 hold ratings, and no sell ratings.

Upside Potential

Lakeland Financial has a consensus price target of $70.00, representing about 17.1% upside from its current price of $59.77.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

Lakeland Financial has only been the subject of 2 research reports in the past 90 days.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 1.9 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 5.41%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for Lakeland Financial are expected to grow by 5.41% in the coming year, from $3.70 to $3.90 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Lakeland Financial is 16.29, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 225.12.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Lakeland Financial is 16.29, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Finance sector average P/E ratio of about 28.55.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

Lakeland Financial has a P/B Ratio of 2.23. P/B Ratios below 3 indicates that a company is reasonably valued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 1.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Bearish

Percentage of Shares Shorted

8.62% of the float of Lakeland Financial has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Lakeland Financial has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 14.5, which indicates bearish sentiment.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Lakeland Financial has recently decreased by 0.47%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving.

Dividend

• Score: 4.2 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Strong

Dividend Yield

Lakeland Financial pays a meaningful dividend of 3.35%, higher than the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.

Dividend Growth

Lakeland Financial has been increasing its dividend for 14 years.

Dividend Coverage

The dividend payout ratio of Lakeland Financial is 54.50%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%.

Dividend Sustainability

Based on earnings estimates, Lakeland Financial will have a dividend payout ratio of 51.28% next year. This indicates that Lakeland Financial will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: N/A
• Environmental Score: N/A

Percentage of Shares Shorted

8.62% of the float of Lakeland Financial has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Lakeland Financial has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 14.5, which indicates bearish sentiment.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Lakeland Financial has recently decreased by 0.47%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving.

News and Social Media

• Score: 1.9 / 5
• News Sentiment: 0.37

News Sentiment

Lakeland Financial has a news sentiment score of 0.37. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a lower news sentiment than the 0.63 average news sentiment score of Finance companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 6 news articles for Lakeland Financial this week, compared to 3 articles on an average week.

Company Ownership

• Score: 3.3 / 5
• Insider Trading: Selling Shares

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Lakeland Financial insiders have sold 2,381.40% more of their company's stock than they have bought. Specifically, they have bought $20,060.00 in company stock and sold $497,769.00 in company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

Only 3.00% of the stock of Lakeland Financial is held by insiders.

Percentage Held by Institutions

81.15% of the stock of Lakeland Financial is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

LKFN Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have LKFN shares performed this year?

Lakeland Financial's stock was trading at $68.76 on January 1st, 2025. Since then, LKFN shares have decreased by 13.1% and is now trading at $59.77.

How were Lakeland Financial's earnings last quarter?

Lakeland Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:LKFN) announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July, 25th. The financial services provider reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.11. The financial services provider earned $63.36 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $67.02 million. Lakeland Financial had a net margin of 22.55% and a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 13.57%.

Who are Lakeland Financial's major shareholders?

Top institutional shareholders of Lakeland Financial include Copeland Capital Management LLC (2.55%), Boston Trust Walden Corp (1.46%), Yousif Capital Management LLC (0.03%) and Assenagon Asset Management S.A. (0.03%). Insiders that own company stock include Michael L Kubacki, M Scott Welch, Brian J Smith, Lisa M O'neill, Eric H Ottinger, Robert E Bartels Jr, Steven D Ross, Melinda Jo Truex, Emily E Pichon, Blake Augsburger, David M Findlay, Kristin Pruitt, Kyra E Clark, James Rickard Donovan, Stephanie R Leniski, Donald Robinson-Gay, Jonathan P Steiner and Brok A Lahrman.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of Lakeland Financial?

Shares of LKFN stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of Lakeland Financial own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that Lakeland Financial investors own include Humana (HUM), American Water Works (AWK), Waste Connections (WCN), Voyager Therapeutics (VYGR), The RMR Group (RMR), DiamondRock Hospitality (DRH) and iShares Micro-Cap ETF (IWC).

Company Calendar

• Last Earnings: 7/25/2025
• Record date for 8/5 Dividend: 7/25/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 8/5 Dividend: 7/25/2025
• Dividend Payable: 8/05/2025
• Today: 10/18/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 11/5 Dividend: 10/24/2025
• Record date for 11/5 Dividend: 10/25/2025
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 10/27/2025
• Dividend Payable: 11/05/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2025

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NASDAQ
• Sector: Finance
• Industry: BANKS - MIDWEST
• Sub-Industry: Regional Banks
• Current Symbol: NASDAQ:LKFN
• CIK: 721994
• Web: www.lakecitybank.com
• Phone: (574) 267-6144
• Fax: 574-267-6063
• Employees: 650
• Year Founded: 1872

Price Target and Rating

• Average Price Target for Lakeland Financial: $70.00
• High Price Target: $72.00
• Low Price Target: $68.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: +17.1%
• Consensus Rating: Hold
• Rating Score (0-4): 2.33
• Research Coverage: 3 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $3.67
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 16.29
• Forward P/E Ratio: 16.15
• P/E Growth: N/A
• Net Income: $93.48 million
• Net Margins: 22.55%
• Pretax Margin: 27.21%
• Return on Equity: 13.57%
• Return on Assets: 1.39%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: N/A
• Current Ratio: 0.89
• Quick Ratio: 0.89

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $254.93 million
• Price / Sales: 5.99
• Cash Flow: $4.00 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 14.96
• Book Value: $26.81 per share
• Price / Book: 2.23

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 25,530,000
• Free Float: 24,764,000
• Market Cap: $1.53 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 0.59