Lakeland Financial (US:LKFN) Defense World·2026-01-09 08:09Core Viewpoint - Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC has initiated a new position in Lakeland Financial Corporation, acquiring 23,726 shares valued at approximately $1.52 million, representing about 0.09% ownership of the company [2] Institutional Investment Activity - Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in Lakeland Financial by 248.0%, now owning 442 shares worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares [3] - Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its stake by 186.0%, owning 469 shares valued at $29,000 after acquiring 305 additional shares [3] - EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position by 1,212.5%, now holding 630 shares worth $39,000 after acquiring 582 shares [3] - GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position by 80.9%, owning 1,670 shares valued at $107,000 after purchasing 747 shares [3] - Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake worth $215,000 in the first quarter [3] - Hedge funds and institutional investors collectively own 81.15% of Lakeland Financial's stock [3] Analyst Ratings Changes - Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on Lakeland Financial [4] - Hovde Group downgraded the stock from "outperform" to "market perform" [4] - Raymond James Financial maintained an "outperform" rating with a target price of $68.00, down from $74.00 [4] - Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective from $68.00 to $66.00, assigning a "market perform" rating [4] - The stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $68.67 [4] Stock Performance - Lakeland Financial's stock opened at $57.57, with a market capitalization of $1.47 billion and a P/E ratio of 15.19 [5] - The stock has a 50-day moving average of $58.30 and a 200-day moving average of $61.92 [5] - The one-year low for the stock is $50.00, while the one-year high is $71.76 [5] Earnings Results - Lakeland Financial reported earnings of $1.03 per share for the quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.02 by $0.01 [6] - The company generated revenue of $69.03 million, slightly below the consensus estimate of $69.15 million [6] - The net margin was 23.23%, and return on equity was 13.77% [6] - Revenue increased by 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year [6] - Analysts forecast earnings per share of 3.7 for the current fiscal year [6] Dividend Announcement - Lakeland Financial announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50, paid on November 5th, with an annualized dividend of $2.00 and a yield of 3.5% [7] - The dividend payout ratio stands at 52.77% [7] Company Profile - Lakeland Financial Corporation is a bank holding company based in Warsaw, Indiana, offering a full range of commercial and consumer banking services [9] - The company operates through its principal subsidiary, Lakeland Bank, providing various deposit products and loan offerings [9]