Lesaka Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:LSAK) Short Interest Update
by Scott Moore · The Cerbat GemLesaka Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:LSAK – Get Free Report) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 131,230 shares, an increase of 29.8% from the December 31st total of 101,084 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 95,531 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.4 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 95,531 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.4 days. Approximately 0.2% of the company’s shares are sold short.
Lesaka Technologies Price Performance
LSAK traded up $0.04 during trading on Monday, reaching $4.70. 102,137 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 79,780. The company has a market capitalization of $395.22 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.39 and a beta of 0.47. Lesaka Technologies has a 1 year low of $3.39 and a 1 year high of $5.20. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $4.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $4.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.48.
Lesaka Technologies (NASDAQ:LSAK – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported ($0.05) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.04 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $171.45 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $158.00 million. Lesaka Technologies had a negative return on equity of 47.06% and a negative net margin of 14.02%.Lesaka Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.260-0.260 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Lesaka Technologies will post -0.16 earnings per share for the current year.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research analysts have issued reports on LSAK shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Lesaka Technologies in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded Lesaka Technologies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lesaka Technologies currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on Lesaka Technologies
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, Chairman Ali Mazanderani acquired 1,800,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 31st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $5.00 per share, for a total transaction of $9,000,000.00. Following the acquisition, the chairman owned 2,325,115 shares in the company, valued at $11,625,575. The trade was a 342.78% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel Luke Smith purchased 11,503 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $4.40 per share, for a total transaction of $50,613.20. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 23,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $103,400. This represents a 95.88% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders bought a total of 1,830,500 shares of company stock worth $9,130,204 over the last three months. Insiders own 3.40% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Trading of Lesaka Technologies
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rathbones Group PLC grew its stake in Lesaka Technologies by 90.2% during the 2nd quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 3,419,420 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,353,000 after buying an additional 1,622,088 shares during the last quarter. Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Lesaka Technologies during the 2nd quarter valued at $595,000. Citadel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Lesaka Technologies by 26.4% during the third quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 18,977 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 3,959 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna International Group LLP acquired a new position in shares of Lesaka Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $74,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 24.19% of the company’s stock.
About Lesaka Technologies
Lesaka Technologies, Inc operates as a Fintech company that utilizes its proprietary banking and payment technologies to deliver financial services solutions to merchants (B2B) and consumers (B2C) in Southern Africa. It offers cash management solutions, growth capital, card acquiring, bill payment technologies, and value-added services to formal and informal retail merchants, as well as banking, lending, and insurance solutions to consumers across Southern Africa. The company also engages in the sale of POS devices, SIM cards, and other consumables; and license of rights to use certain technology developed by the company, as well as offers related technology services.