Wall Street Zen Upgrades Lesaka Technologies (NASDAQ:LSAK) to Hold

Lesaka Technologies (NASDAQ:LSAK) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen to a “hold” rating in a report released on Saturday.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Lesaka Technologies in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research raised Lesaka Technologies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Lesaka Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LSAK opened at $4.41 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $370.09 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.00 and a beta of 0.47. Lesaka Technologies has a one year low of $3.39 and a one year high of $5.10. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $4.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $4.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Lesaka Technologies (NASDAQ:LSAK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.08 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.04 by $0.04. Lesaka Technologies had a negative net margin of 7.87% and a negative return on equity of 28.23%. The firm had revenue of $93.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $166.00 million. Lesaka Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.260-0.260 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Lesaka Technologies will post -0.16 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lesaka Technologies news, Chairman Ali Mazanderani acquired 1,800,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $5.00 per share, for a total transaction of $9,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 2,325,115 shares in the company, valued at $11,625,575. This trade represents a 342.78% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel Luke Smith acquired 11,503 shares of Lesaka Technologies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $4.40 per share, for a total transaction of $50,613.20. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 23,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $103,400. This represents a 95.88% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 1,830,500 shares of company stock worth $9,130,204. 3.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lesaka Technologies

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rathbones Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Lesaka Technologies by 90.2% in the second quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 3,419,420 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,353,000 after acquiring an additional 1,622,088 shares during the last quarter. Potomac Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lesaka Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,766,000. Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Lesaka Technologies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $595,000. Susquehanna International Group LLP bought a new position in Lesaka Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $74,000. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Lesaka Technologies by 26.4% during the 3rd quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 18,977 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 3,959 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 24.19% of the company’s stock.

Lesaka Technologies Company Profile

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.