Lakeland Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAKE) Short Interest Update

Lakeland Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAKE) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 168,400 shares, an increase of 36.0% from the December 15th total of 123,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 46,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.6 days. Currently, 2.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on LAKE shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lakeland Industries from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Roth Mkm boosted their price target on shares of Lakeland Industries from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th.

Lakeland Industries Price Performance

LAKE opened at $26.47 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $22.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.17. 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 has a 12 month low of $15.10 and a 12 month high of $26.64.

Lakeland Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a dividend of $0.03 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Lakeland Industries’s payout ratio is currently -133.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO James M. Jenkins bought 990 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 30th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $25.35 per share, with a total value of $25,096.50. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990 shares in the company, valued at $25,096.50. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Nikki Hamblin acquired 2,220 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $23.08 per share, with a total value of $51,237.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,862 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $366,094.96. This represents a 16.27 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 4.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lakeland Industries

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Huntington National Bank acquired a new stake in Lakeland Industries during the 3rd quarter worth $41,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Lakeland Industries by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 12,129 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $244,000 after purchasing an additional 536 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lakeland Industries during the third quarter worth approximately $306,000. High Falls Advisors Inc increased its stake in Lakeland Industries by 35.8% in the 2nd quarter. High Falls Advisors Inc now owns 19,472 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $447,000 after buying an additional 5,137 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Lakeland Industries by 1.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 74,273 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,493,000 after purchasing an additional 1,177 shares in the last quarter. 71.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Lakeland Industries

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.