Lesaka Technologies (NASDAQ:LSAK) Rating Increased to Hold at Wall Street Zen

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

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

Lesaka Technologies Stock Down 2.2%

LSAK stock opened at $4.41 on Friday. Lesaka Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $3.39 and a fifty-two week high of $5.10. The company has a market capitalization of $370.09 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.00 and a beta of 0.47. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $4.54 and its two-hundred 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.

Lesaka Technologies (NASDAQ:LSAK) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.08 EPS 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 analysts’ expectations 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. As a group, analysts forecast that Lesaka Technologies will post -0.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman Ali Mazanderani acquired 1,800,000 shares of Lesaka Technologies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 31st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $5.00 per share, for a total transaction of $9,000,000.00. Following the purchase, the chairman owned 2,325,115 shares in the company, valued at $11,625,575. This trade represents a 342.78% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Daniel Luke Smith bought 11,503 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price 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. In the last ninety days, insiders bought 1,830,500 shares of company stock valued at $9,130,204. 3.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lesaka Technologies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Citadel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Lesaka Technologies by 26.4% in the 3rd quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 18,977 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 3,959 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna International Group LLP bought a new stake in shares of Lesaka Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth $74,000. Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lesaka Technologies in the second quarter worth $595,000. Rathbones Group PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lesaka Technologies by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 3,644,420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,384,000 after purchasing an additional 225,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Potomac Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lesaka Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at $4,766,000. Institutional investors own 24.19% of the company’s stock.

About Lesaka Technologies

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.