Lands’ End, Inc. (NASDAQ:LE) Short Interest Update

Lands’ End, Inc. (NASDAQ:LE) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,906,790 shares, a growth of 54.6% from the March 15th total of 1,880,525 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 708,399 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.1 days. Approximately 9.7% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lands’ End

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Lands’ End by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 19,835 shares of the company’s stock valued at $288,000 after acquiring an additional 674 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Lands’ End by 83.0% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,384 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 1,081 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio raised its stake in shares of Lands’ End by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 35,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $517,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its stake in shares of Lands’ End by 14.5% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 10,355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $150,000 after acquiring an additional 1,309 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Lands’ End by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 20,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after buying an additional 1,853 shares during the last quarter. 37.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lands’ End Stock Performance

LE traded up $0.40 on Tuesday, reaching $11.72. 89,252 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 388,749. The firm has a market capitalization of $360.25 million, a PE ratio of 65.09 and a beta of 2.49. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $14.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 0.41. Lands’ End has a fifty-two week low of $7.65 and a fifty-two week high of $20.04.

Lands’ End (NASDAQ:LE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 19th. The company reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.77 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $462.37 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $471.01 million. Lands’ End had a net margin of 0.41% and a return on equity of 9.80%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Lands’ End will post 0.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lands’ End declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 1st that allows the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 28.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on LE. Wall Street Zen lowered Lands’ End from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Lands’ End in a report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold”.

About Lands’ End

Lands’ End, Inc (NASDAQ: LE) is an American retailer specializing in casual apparel, accessories and home goods. Headquartered in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, the company sells its products through a combination of direct-to-consumer channels including e-commerce, catalogues and a network of outlet stores. Lands’ End is known for its nautical-inspired designs, functional outerwear and commitment to quality fabrics.

Founded in 1963 by Gary Comer as a mail-order sailing supply business, Lands’ End rapidly expanded its product offering beyond marine gear.