Short Interest in LSI Industries Inc. (NASDAQ:LYTS) Decreases By 26.4%

LSI Industries Inc. (NASDAQ:LYTS) saw a significant decline in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 375,300 shares, a decline of 26.4% from the January 15th total of 509,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 150,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.5 days. Approximately 1.4% of the company’s stock are short sold.

LSI Industries Trading Up 3.5 %

LSI Industries stock traded up $0.71 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $20.78. 153,543 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 186,210. The stock has a market capitalization of $620.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.99 and a beta of 0.94. LSI Industries has a 12 month low of $13.63 and a 12 month high of $25.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $20.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $17.99.

LSI Industries (NASDAQ:LYTS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 23rd. The construction company reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by ($0.02). LSI Industries had a return on equity of 11.42% and a net margin of 4.47%. Analysts forecast that LSI Industries will post 0.7 EPS for the current year.

LSI Industries Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.05 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. LSI Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.97%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LSI Industries

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in LSI Industries by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 268,521 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,215,000 after acquiring an additional 24,121 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of LSI Industries in the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in LSI Industries by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 25,911 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $504,000 after acquiring an additional 2,206 shares during the period. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury purchased a new position in LSI Industries during the 4th quarter valued at $186,000. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its position in LSI Industries by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 16,659 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $324,000 after purchasing an additional 1,362 shares in the last quarter. 73.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price objective on shares of LSI Industries from $22.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. HC Wainwright upped their price target on shares of LSI Industries from $20.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th.

LSI Industries Company Profile

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.