Fact based stock research
Lakeland Financial (NasdaqGS:LKFN)

US5116561003

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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

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Lakeland Financial stock research in summary

lakelandfinancialcorp.q4ir.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 44 (worse than 56% compared with investment alternatives), Lakeland Financial (Regional Banks, USA) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Lakeland Financial are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 7 (worse than 93% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 35) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 92), which means low debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 44, is a hold recommendation based on Lakeland Financial's financial characteristics. As the company Lakeland Financial's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 7) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 35), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. In this case, good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 92) are a positive sign, because it may allow the company to weather challenging times until the hoped-for cash flows materialize. This may be true for high-tech or biotechnology companies with enough cash to sustain prolonged business development. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and unattractive today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value, as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts lie all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that account for a small fraction of a safe portfolio. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	7
Growth Rank	35
Safety Rank	92
Combined Rank	44

Country	USA
Industry	Regional Banks
Index	Sound Pay USA, NASDAQ
Size class	Small

19-Dec-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: Lakeland Financial

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	8	3	6	7
GROWTH
GROWTH	14	47	7	35
SAFETY
SAFETY	42	91	91	92
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	39	26	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	39	22	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 19-Dec-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Sep-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Lakeland Financial is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	8	3	6	7
GROWTH
GROWTH	14	47	7	35
SAFETY
SAFETY	42	91	91	92
COMBINED
COMBINED	13	49	24	44

Last update of combined financial performance: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Lakeland Financial the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 7 (worse than 93% compared with alternatives), Lakeland Financial shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four indicators below average for Lakeland Financial. Price-to-Sales is 4 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 96% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Lakeland Financial's sales levels. Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) also has a low Price-to-Book Rank of 3, which means that both reliable company size indicators, sales, and invested capital cannot explain the high stock price of Lakeland Financial. In addition, the two profit-related value indicators, Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a low rank of 4 and Dividend Yield, which is lower than 51% of comparable companies, also make the stock more expensive compared with investment alternatives. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 7, is a sell recommendation based on Lakeland Financial's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. How can market participants pay such a high price for Lakeland Financial? One reason may be that the company is simply too popular. If enough people want a particular stock, its price can exceed reasonable levels. This is often the case for companies offering new and exciting products and everybody wants a piece of the action. Should you pay a lot for a hot stock such as Lakeland Financial? It's risky, and even if the stock price continues to grow because of popular demand, it may return to more typical lower levels later. And that return can be sudden and quick, making it impossible for retail investors to exit on time. Sometimes, high prices are deserved. This is the case when it is justified to believe that the company will dominate a market with high profit margins. It has happened in the past for many technology companies and indeed for commercially successful pharmaceutical discoveries. Sometimes they last, sometimes, they get eaten alive. Lakeland Financial may be such a type of stock. That would mean, retail investors should be careful, only considering investing a small part of their wealth in this exciting category and always being ready to lose more than half, if not all of the investment. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is essential in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	2	3	3	4
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	10	3	5	4
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	6	3	1	3
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	35	37	40	49
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	8	3	6	7

Last update of Value Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Lakeland Financial; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 35 (better than 35% compared with alternatives), Lakeland Financial shows a below-average growth dynamic in its industry. There is limited momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where half of the indicators are below and half above average for Lakeland Financial. Profit Growth, with a rank of 69 (better than 69% of its competitors), and Capital Growth, with a rank of 75, are both positive, which is a healthy sign for positive development. But Sales Growth has only a rank of 14, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 86% of its competitors, and Stock Returns are at a rank of 17. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 35, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Stock returns that are a thing of the past can be less of a problem. Below-average revenue growth may be caused by divestments of underperforming businesses. If that is the case, then the positive developments of profit and capital growth are signs of a company with growth potential. If these are the reasons, overall growth is well on track to making this stock attractive for growth investors. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is mixed here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	10	26	23	14
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	88	22	33	69
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	71	11	75
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	55	71	33	17
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	14	47	7	35

Last update of Growth Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Lakeland Financial.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 92 (better than 92% compared with alternatives) for 2024, the company Lakeland Financial has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of Lakeland Financial is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above average for Lakeland Financial. Leverage is at a rank of 80, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 80% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 94, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 94% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 30, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 70% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 92 (better than 92% compared with alternatives), Lakeland Financial has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for Lakeland Financial. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. Investors may have a short-term debt challenge with Lakeland Financial and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	55	76	92	80
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	10	31	27	30
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	69	93	81	94
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	42	91	91	92

Last update of Safety Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Lakeland Financial and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	13	37	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	50	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	89	38	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	14	23	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	39	26	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Lakeland Financial.
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