Lakeland Financial (NASDAQ:LKFN) Downgraded to Sell Rating by Wall Street Zen

01 Mar 2026, 11:38 by Mitch Edgeman · The Markets Daily

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Lakeland Financial (NASDAQ:LKFN – Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report released on Saturday morning.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Stephens set a $66.00 target price on Lakeland Financial in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lakeland Financial in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Hovde Group cut Lakeland Financial from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $68.00.

Check Out Our Latest Report on LKFN

Lakeland Financial Trading Down 3.2%

LKFN opened at $58.09 on Friday. Lakeland Financial has a 1-year low of $50.00 and a 1-year high of $69.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.47 billion, a PE ratio of 14.49 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $59.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $61.02.

Lakeland Financial (NASDAQ:LKFN – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 26th. The financial services provider reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.02. Lakeland Financial had a net margin of 24.51% and a return on equity of 14.19%. The business had revenue of $69.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $69.45 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.94 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Lakeland Financial will post 3.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lakeland Financial Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 5th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, January 25th were paid a $0.52 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 23rd. This is an increase from Lakeland Financial’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. Lakeland Financial’s payout ratio is presently 51.87%.

Insider Activity at Lakeland Financial

In related news, Director M Scott Welch acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $57.95 per share, with a total value of $579,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 49,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,839,550. The trade was a 25.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Bradley J. Toothaker sold 5,685 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.36, for a total transaction of $331,776.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 20,178 shares in the company, valued at $1,177,588.08. This represents a 21.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 3.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lakeland Financial

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LKFN. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lakeland Financial during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,523,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its stake in shares of Lakeland Financial by 14.3% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 99,540 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,390,000 after buying an additional 12,436 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp acquired a new position in Lakeland Financial during the third quarter worth $23,968,000. TrueMark Investments LLC raised its position in Lakeland Financial by 504.6% during the third quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC now owns 93,375 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,995,000 after acquiring an additional 77,930 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FJ Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Lakeland Financial during the second quarter worth $1,339,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.15% of the company’s stock.

Lakeland Financial Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Lakeland Financial Corporation is a bank holding company based in Warsaw, Indiana, that operates through its principal subsidiary, Lakeland Bank. The company offers a full range of commercial and consumer banking services, including deposit products such as checking accounts, savings accounts and certificates of deposit, as well as a variety of loan offerings spanning commercial real estate, agricultural, mortgage, consumer and small-business lending.