Insider Buying: Lesaka Technologies (NASDAQ:LSAK) Chairman Acquires 1,800,000 Shares of Stock

Lesaka Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:LSAK) Chairman Ali Mazanderani acquired 1,800,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 31st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $5.00 per share, for a total transaction of $9,000,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chairman directly owned 2,325,115 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,625,575. The trade was a 342.78% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Lesaka Technologies Trading Down 3.8%

Shares of LSAK stock traded down $0.18 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $4.59. 41,715 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 35,932. The company has a market cap of $385.97 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.29 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $4.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $4.33. Lesaka Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $3.39 and a 1-year high of $5.45.

Lesaka Technologies (NASDAQ:LSAK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported ($0.05) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.04 by ($0.09). Lesaka Technologies had a negative net margin of 14.02% and a negative return on equity of 47.06%. The company had revenue of $171.45 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $158.00 million. Lesaka Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.260-0.260 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Lesaka Technologies, Inc. will post -0.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on LSAK. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Lesaka Technologies in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research cut shares of Lesaka Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Sell”.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lesaka Technologies

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LSAK. Rathbones Group PLC lifted its stake in shares of Lesaka Technologies by 90.2% in the 2nd quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 3,419,420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,353,000 after purchasing an additional 1,622,088 shares during the period. Schwarz Dygos Wheeler Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lesaka Technologies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $595,000. Citadel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Lesaka Technologies by 26.4% in the 3rd quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 18,977 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 3,959 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Susquehanna International Group LLP purchased a new position in shares of Lesaka Technologies in the third quarter worth $74,000. 24.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lesaka Technologies Company Profile

Lesaka Technologies, Inc operates as a Fintech company that utilizes its proprietary banking and payment technologies to deliver financial services solutions to merchants (B2B) and consumers (B2C) in Southern Africa. It offers cash management solutions, growth capital, card acquiring, bill payment technologies, and value-added services to formal and informal retail merchants, as well as banking, lending, and insurance solutions to consumers across Southern Africa. The company also engages in the sale of POS devices, SIM cards, and other consumables; and license of rights to use certain technology developed by the company, as well as offers related technology services.