Diversified Investment Strategies LLC Grows Position in Lakeland Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAKE)

Diversified Investment Strategies LLC increased its position in Lakeland Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAKE) by 30.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 32,500 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 7,500 shares during the period. Lakeland Industries accounts for about 0.5% of Diversified Investment Strategies LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Diversified Investment Strategies LLC’s holdings in Lakeland Industries were worth $830,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Royce & Associates LP grew its position in Lakeland Industries by 2.5% in the third quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 730,220 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $14,677,000 after acquiring an additional 17,579 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Lakeland Industries by 1.6% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. High Falls Advisors Inc increased its stake in Lakeland Industries by 46.2% during the 3rd quarter. High Falls Advisors Inc now owns 28,472 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $572,000 after buying an additional 9,000 shares during the period. Barclays PLC acquired a new position in Lakeland Industries in the 3rd quarter worth $306,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in 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 buying an additional 536 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Activity at Lakeland Industries

In other news, COO An Hui acquired 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $22.00 per share, with a total value of $44,000.00. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer now owns 53,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,186,064. This represents a 3.85 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Nikki Hamblin purchased 1,590 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $22.00 per share, for a total transaction of $34,980.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,452 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $383,944. This represents a 10.02 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired a total of 11,208 shares of company stock worth $253,520 in the last three months. 4.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Lakeland Industries Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of Lakeland Industries stock opened at $24.16 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 4.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market cap of $179.03 million, a P/E ratio of -271.22 and a beta of 0.60. Lakeland Industries, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $15.10 and a fifty-two week high of $27.28. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $23.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.35.

Lakeland Industries (NASDAQ:LAKE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by ($0.39). Lakeland Industries had a negative net margin of 0.42% and a positive return on equity of 1.66%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Lakeland Industries, Inc. will post 0.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lakeland Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were given a $0.03 dividend. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. Lakeland Industries’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -133.33%.

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.