Lands’ End, Inc. (NASDAQ:LE) Short Interest Down 20.9% in April

Lands’ End, Inc. (NASDAQ:LE) was the target of a large decline in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totaling 2,300,375 shares, a decline of 20.9% from the March 31st total of 2,906,790 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 504,121 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.6 days. Currently, 7.6% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Institutional Trading of Lands’ End

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Lands’ End by 3.5% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Lands’ End by 83.0% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,384 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 1,081 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio grew its position in Lands’ End by 3.5% in the 4th 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 grew its position in Lands’ End by 14.5% in the 4th 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. grew its position in Lands’ End by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 20,290 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after acquiring an additional 1,853 shares in the last quarter. 37.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lands’ End Trading Up 2.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:LE traded up $0.31 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $11.29. 219,388 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 351,618. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $13.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $15.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market cap of $347.17 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 62.73 and a beta of 2.49. 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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $462.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $471.01 million. Lands’ End had a return on equity of 9.80% and a net margin of 0.41%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Lands’ End will post 0.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lands’ End announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 1st that allows the company to buyback $100.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 28.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wall Street Zen lowered Lands’ End from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Lands’ End 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.