LSI Industries Inc. (NASDAQ:LYTS) Short Interest Up 24.2% in August

LSI Industries Inc. (NASDAQ:LYTS) was the target of a large increase in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 601,500 shares, an increase of 24.2% from the August 15th total of 484,300 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 122,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.9 days. Approximately 2.4% of the company’s shares are sold short.

LSI Industries Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LYTS opened at $15.31 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $445.98 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.46 and a beta of 0.87. The business has a 50-day moving average of $15.29 and a 200-day moving average of $15.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.17 and a quick ratio of 1.25. LSI Industries has a fifty-two week low of $11.44 and a fifty-two week high of $17.33.

LSI Industries (NASDAQ:LYTS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 15th. The construction company reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $129.01 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $127.28 million. LSI Industries had a return on equity of 12.97% and a net margin of 5.32%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that LSI Industries will post 0.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LSI Industries Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, August 26th were paid a $0.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, August 26th. This represents a $0.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.31%. LSI Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.51%.

Insider Activity at LSI Industries

In related news, CEO James Anthony Clark sold 33,331 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.57, for a total value of $485,632.67. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 361,099 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,261,212.43. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other LSI Industries news, VP Thomas A. Caneris sold 9,748 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.57, for a total transaction of $142,028.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 98,656 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,437,417.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO James Anthony Clark sold 33,331 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.57, for a total value of $485,632.67. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 361,099 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,261,212.43. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 51,903 shares of company stock worth $756,227 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 7.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LSI Industries

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in LSI Industries by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 22,770 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $345,000 after purchasing an additional 993 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in LSI Industries by 10.4% in the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 14,793 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 1,398 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new stake in LSI Industries in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Swiss National Bank lifted its stake in LSI Industries by 6.4% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 51,400 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $777,000 after purchasing an additional 3,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in LSI Industries by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 43,879 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $663,000 after purchasing an additional 3,614 shares during the last quarter. 73.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 target price on shares of LSI Industries in a report on Friday, August 16th.

About LSI Industries

LSI Industries Inc produces and sells non-residential lighting and retail display solutions in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Latin America. It operates through two segments, Lighting and Display Solutions. The Lighting segment manufactures, markets, and sells non-residential outdoor and indoor lighting fixture and control solutions in the commercial and industrial markets.