Lesaka Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:LSAK) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Lesaka Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:LSAK) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 189,844 shares, an increase of 44.7% from the January 15th total of 131,230 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 68,242 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.8 days. Based on an average trading volume of 68,242 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.8 days. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Lesaka Technologies Price Performance

Lesaka Technologies stock traded down $0.10 on Monday, reaching $4.41. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 33,345 shares, compared to its average volume of 82,874. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $4.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $4.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.57. The company has a market cap of $370.09 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.00 and a beta of 0.47. Lesaka Technologies has a twelve month low of $3.39 and a twelve month high of $5.10.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Daniel Luke Smith acquired 11,503 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $4.40 per share, for a total transaction of $50,613.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 23,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $103,400. This trade represents a 95.88% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Chairman Ali Mazanderani bought 1,800,000 shares of Lesaka Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 31st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $5.00 per share, with a total value of $9,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 2,325,115 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,625,575. This trade represents a 342.78% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders acquired a total of 1,830,500 shares of company stock valued at $9,130,204 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 3.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lesaka Technologies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rathbones Group PLC lifted its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lesaka Technologies during the second quarter worth $595,000. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Lesaka Technologies by 13,359.8% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 141,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $677,000 after acquiring an additional 140,812 shares during the period. Potomac Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lesaka Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at $4,766,000. Finally, Susquehanna International Group LLP bought a new position in Lesaka Technologies in the third quarter valued at about $74,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 24.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Lesaka Technologies in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised Lesaka Technologies to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Lesaka Technologies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lesaka Technologies presently has an average rating of “Reduce”.

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.