AltraVue Capital LLC Boosts Stake in LSI Industries Inc. $LYTS

AltraVue Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of LSI Industries Inc. (NASDAQ:LYTS) by 8.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,445,833 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 106,693 shares during the quarter. LSI Industries accounts for 2.2% of AltraVue Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. AltraVue Capital LLC’s holdings in LSI Industries were worth $26,488,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bailard Inc. grew its holdings in shares of LSI Industries by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 15,300 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $280,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of LSI Industries by 11.8% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 6,007 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 635 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of LSI Industries by 22.0% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,077 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 736 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its holdings in shares of LSI Industries by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 59,774 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,411,000 after purchasing an additional 737 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of LSI Industries by 205.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,534 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,031 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.91% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LYTS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of LSI Industries from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of LSI Industries from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of LSI Industries from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $28.33.

LSI Industries Stock Performance

Shares of LYTS stock opened at $22.55 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $21.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $20.60. LSI Industries Inc. has a 52 week low of $16.00 and a 52 week high of $24.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $827.81 million, a PE ratio of 30.07 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

LSI Industries (NASDAQ:LYTS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $0.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.34). The business had revenue of $150.53 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $163.53 million. LSI Industries had a net margin of 3.91% and a return on equity of 8.90%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that LSI Industries Inc. will post 0.81 earnings per share for the current year.

LSI Industries Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 4th were given a $0.05 dividend. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 4th. LSI Industries’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other LSI Industries news, CFO James E. Galeese sold 136,578 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.29, for a total value of $3,317,479.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 173,288 shares in the company, valued at $4,209,165.52. This represents a 44.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Wilfred T. Ogara sold 10,369 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.09, for a total transaction of $249,789.21. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 103,686 shares in the company, valued at $2,497,795.74. This trade represents a 9.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 256,173 shares of company stock worth $6,220,368 over the last three months. 7.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

LSI Industries Profile

LSI Industries, Inc (NASDAQ: LYTS) is a diversified manufacturer and distributor of lighting, graphics and building technology products. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, the company develops energy-efficient LED lighting systems, branded and digital graphic displays, and integrated building technology solutions. Serving customers in the retail, quick-service and convenience store, industrial, hospitality and transportation markets, LSI combines design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities to address both aesthetic and functional needs.

In its lighting segment, LSI offers interior and exterior LED fixtures, canopy lights, high-bay and low-bay systems, and specialized horticultural grow lights.