Lakeland Financial (LKFN) versus Its Peers Head to Head Analysis

Lakeland Financial (NASDAQ:LKFN) is one of 919 public companies in the “Banks” industry, but how does it compare to its rivals? We will compare Lakeland Financial to similar companies based on the strength of its analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation, risk, institutional ownership, profitability and earnings.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Lakeland Financial and its rivals top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Net Income	Price/Earnings Ratio
Lakeland Financial	$421.71 million	$103.36 million	14.07
Lakeland Financial Competitors	$9.95 billion	$2.42 billion	17.47

Lakeland Financial’s rivals have higher revenue and earnings than Lakeland Financial. Lakeland Financial is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Risk and Volatility

Lakeland Financial has a beta of 0.77, indicating that its stock price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Lakeland Financial’s rivals have a beta of 0.53, indicating that their average stock price is 47% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

Lakeland Financial pays an annual dividend of $2.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. Lakeland Financial pays out 46.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, “Banks” companies pay a dividend yield of 9.2% and pay out 28.9% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Lakeland Financial has increased its dividend for 14 consecutive years. Lakeland Financial lags its rivals as a dividend stock, given its lower dividend yield and higher payout ratio.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Lakeland Financial and its rivals, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Lakeland Financial	0	5	0	0	2.00
Lakeland Financial Competitors	7465	30196	27762	1465	2.35

Lakeland Financial presently has a consensus price target of $65.67, suggesting a potential upside of 4.40%. As a group, “Banks” companies have a potential upside of 14.46%. Given Lakeland Financial’s rivals stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Lakeland Financial has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

81.2% of Lakeland Financial shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 47.8% of shares of all “Banks” companies are owned by institutional investors. 3.0% of Lakeland Financial shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 9.8% of shares of all “Banks” companies are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Lakeland Financial and its rivals’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Lakeland Financial	26.51%	15.07%	1.59%
Lakeland Financial Competitors	15.66%	9.44%	0.93%

Summary

Lakeland Financial rivals beat Lakeland Financial on 10 of the 15 factors compared.

About Lakeland Financial

Lakeland Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Lake City Bank that provides various banking products and services in the United States. The company accepts various deposit products, such as noninterest bearing, interest-bearing checking, savings, money market, NOW, and demand deposits. Its loan products include commercial and industrial, commercial real estate and multi-family residential, construction, agri-business and agricultural, consumer 1-4 family mortgage, and other commercial and consumer loans. The company also provides retail and merchant credit card services; corporate treasury management, wealth advisory, and trust services; retail brokerage services, including various financial and investment products, such as annuities and life insurance; and mobile business banking and on-line treasury management services. It serves commercial real estate, manufacturing, agriculture, construction, retail, wholesale, finance and insurance, accommodation and food services, and health care industries. The company was founded in 1872 and is headquartered in Warsaw, Indiana.