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

Lakeland Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAKE - Get Free Report) 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. Approximately 2.4% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 46,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.6 days.

Lakeland Industries Stock Down 0.6 %

Lakeland Industries stock traded down $0.17 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $26.31. The stock had a trading volume of 17,300 shares, compared to its average volume of 57,491. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $23.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $22.20. Lakeland Industries has a 12 month low of $15.10 and a 12 month high of $26.64. The company has a market capitalization of $194.92 million, a P/E ratio of -292.28 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 4.23, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Lakeland Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were given a $0.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. Lakeland Industries's dividend payout ratio is currently -133.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lakeland Industries

In related news, Director Nikki Hamblin acquired 2,220 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $23.08 per share, with a total value of $51,237.60. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 15,862 shares in the company, valued at $366,094.96. This represents a 16.27 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO James M. Jenkins bought 990 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 30th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $25.35 per share, with a total value of $25,096.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 990 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,096.50. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 4.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Lakeland Industries

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of Lakeland Industries by 2.7% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 499,202 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $11,452,000 after acquiring an additional 13,200 shares during the period. High Falls Advisors Inc boosted its position in Lakeland Industries by 35.8% during the 2nd quarter. High Falls Advisors Inc now owns 19,472 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $447,000 after acquiring an additional 5,137 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank bought a new stake in shares of Lakeland Industries during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Royce & Associates LP grew its position in shares of Lakeland Industries by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 730,220 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $14,677,000 after buying an additional 17,579 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Lakeland Industries by 4.6% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 12,129 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $244,000 after purchasing an additional 536 shares during the period. 71.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LAKE. 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 target price on Lakeland Industries from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th.

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.