Short Interest in LifeStance Health Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:LFST) Grows By 32.8%

LifeStance Health Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:LFST) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 10,322,332 shares, an increase of 32.8% from the February 12th total of 7,775,255 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,116,587 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.3 days. Currently, 2.8% of the company’s stock are short sold. Currently, 2.8% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,116,587 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.3 days.

Insider Transactions at LifeStance Health Group

In other news, insider Ann Varanakis sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.90, for a total value of $345,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 315,610 shares in the company, valued at $2,177,709. This trade represents a 13.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Darren M. Black sold 4,314,939 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.01, for a total value of $30,247,722.39. Following the sale, the director owned 29,209,776 shares in the company, valued at $204,760,529.76. The trade was a 12.87% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 4,493,024 shares of company stock worth $31,494,183 in the last three months. Insiders own 3.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in LifeStance Health Group by 19,952.6% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 3,791 shares during the period. Bayesian Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of LifeStance Health Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Krane Funds Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of LifeStance Health Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $71,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC bought a new position in shares of LifeStance Health Group during the third quarter worth approximately $72,000. Finally, Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new stake in LifeStance Health Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $77,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.50% of the company’s stock.

LifeStance Health Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LFST traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $6.45. 4,528,082 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,300,282. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.51 billion, a PE ratio of 322.66 and a beta of 1.11. LifeStance Health Group has a 12 month low of $3.74 and a 12 month high of $8.09. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $7.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $6.32.

LifeStance Health Group (NASDAQ:LFST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.05 by ($0.02). LifeStance Health Group had a net margin of 0.68% and a return on equity of 0.65%. The business had revenue of $382.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $378.51 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.01) EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 17.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that LifeStance Health Group will post -0.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

LifeStance Health Group announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 25th that authorizes the company to buyback $100.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 3.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LFST. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on LifeStance Health Group from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of LifeStance Health Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of LifeStance Health Group from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of LifeStance Health Group from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of LifeStance Health Group from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $9.83.

LifeStance Health Group Company Profile

LifeStance Health Group (NASDAQ:LFST) is a leading provider of outpatient mental health services in the United States. Headquartered in New York City, the company operates a growing network of clinics that deliver integrated, patient-centered psychological and psychiatric care. LifeStance’s mission is to expand access to high-quality mental health treatment by combining evidence-based therapy modalities with personalized treatment plans.

The company’s service offerings include individual, family, and group psychotherapy, psychiatric medication management, psychological assessment, and telehealth services.