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.

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Lakeland Financial stock research in summary

lakelandfinancialcorp.q4ir.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 11 (worse than 89% compared with investment alternatives), Lakeland Financial (Regional Banks, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Lakeland Financial are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 11 (worse than 89% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 10) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 73), which means low debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 11, is a sell 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 11) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 10), 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 73) 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	11
Growth Rank	10
Safety Rank	73
Combined Rank	11

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

31-Jul-2025. 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	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	3	6	11	11
GROWTH
GROWTH	47	7	7	10
SAFETY
SAFETY	91	91	92	73
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	39	26	49	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	39	22	32	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 31-Jul-2025. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 31-Mar-2025. 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	2022	2023	2024	2025
VALUE
VALUE	3	6	11	11
GROWTH
GROWTH	47	7	7	10
SAFETY
SAFETY	91	91	92	73
COMBINED
COMBINED	49	24	17	11

Last update of combined financial performance: 31-Jul-2025. 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 11 (worse than 89% compared with alternatives), Lakeland Financial shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Lakeland Financial. Only the metric dividend yield has an above-average rank, reflecting that dividend practices are expected to be higher than 55% of comparable companies, making the stock an attractive buy for dividend investors. However, dividend investors may get disappointed because all other critical financial indicators are below the market median: Price-to-Sales is 9 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 91% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Lakeland Financial's sales levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a rank of 5 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profit levels is higher than 95% of comparable companies. In addition, Price-to-Book (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 7 is also low. Compared with invested capital, the stock price is higher than for 93% of comparable investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 11, is a sell recommendation based on Lakeland Financial's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Should dividend investors pick Lakeland Financial? The company-reported financials speak against it. The company is expensive compared with revenue and invested capital levels, two reliable company size indicators. In addition, it currently has a low level of profits. How can future dividends be paid in the case that profits remain low? Dividend investors should choose Lakeland Financial only if they reasonably expect the low current profit levels to be transitory. 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	2022	2023	2024	2025
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	3	3	3	9
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	3	5	7	5
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	3	1	3	7
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	37	40	63	55
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	3	6	11	11

Last update of Value Rank: 31-Jul-2025. 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 10 (better than 10% compared with alternatives), Lakeland Financial shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four metrics below average for Lakeland Financial. Sales Growth has a rank of 24, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 76% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth, with a rank of 39, and Capital Growth with 31. In addition, Stock Returns have a below market rank of 23, which means that the stock returns have recently been below 77% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 10, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. These are all bad growth momentum indicators. These are negative signals for investors interested in growth companies. Value is likely good for this company, as investors may have left this stock in the cold. If that is the case, investors should look at the company's outlook, especially Sentiment performance, because it may be a turnaround situation that could entail above-average stock returns in the future. But it remains a risky bet, as no growth signals are in the green zone yet. 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 low here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2022	2023	2024	2025
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	26	23	33	24
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	22	33	30	39
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	71	11	43	31
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	71	33	5	23
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	47	7	7	10

Last update of Growth Rank: 31-Jul-2025. 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 73 (better than 73% compared with alternatives), the company Lakeland Financial has financing practices on the safer side, which mean that their overall debt burden is lower than average. 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 72, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 72% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 88, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 88% 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 73 (better than 73% compared with alternatives), Lakeland Financial has a financing structure that is 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	2022	2023	2024	2025
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	76	92	83	72
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	31	27	25	30
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	93	81	88	88
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	91	91	92	73

Last update of Safety Rank: 31-Jul-2025. 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	2022	2023	2024	2025
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	37	33	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	50	50	94	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	89	38	73	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	14	23	24	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	39	26	49	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 31-Jul-2025. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Lakeland Financial.
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