Short Interest in Lifetime Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:LCUT) Declines By 44.9%

Lifetime Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:LCUT) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 106,065 shares, a decline of 44.9% from the December 15th total of 192,612 shares. Currently, 0.8% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 39,970 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.7 days. Based on an average trading volume of 39,970 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.7 days. Currently, 0.8% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lifetime Brands

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in LCUT. Royce & Associates LP bought a new position in shares of Lifetime Brands in the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd acquired a new position in Lifetime Brands in the second quarter worth $88,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Lifetime Brands during the third quarter worth $118,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Lifetime Brands in the second quarter valued at $212,000. Finally, Teton Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Lifetime Brands in the third quarter valued at about $381,000. Institutional investors own 40.62% of the company’s stock.

Lifetime Brands Stock Performance

Lifetime Brands stock traded down $0.15 on Friday, hitting $3.90. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 17,545 shares, compared to its average volume of 24,556. Lifetime Brands has a one year low of $2.89 and a one year high of $6.82. The firm has a market cap of $88.37 million, a P/E ratio of -2.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $3.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $3.96.

Lifetime Brands (NASDAQ:LCUT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.10 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $171.91 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.76 million. Lifetime Brands had a negative net margin of 5.49% and a negative return on equity of 0.85%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Lifetime Brands will post 0.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Lifetime Brands Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.0425 per share. This represents a $0.17 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. Lifetime Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently -10.24%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LCUT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Lifetime Brands from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their target price on shares of Lifetime Brands from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Lifetime Brands in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $5.00.

About Lifetime Brands

Lifetime Brands, Inc, through its subsidiaries, designs, sources, manufactures and distributes a broad portfolio of consumer products for the home. Headquartered in Garden City, New York, the company operates three primary business segments—Kitchenware, Tabletop & Home Décor and Tools & Storage—providing solutions for food preparation, cooking, serving and storage under both proprietary and licensed brand names.

In the Kitchenware segment, Lifetime Brands offers cookware, bakeware, cutlery and small electric appliances under brands such as Farberware and Chef’sChoice.