The framework has shifted from accumulation to markdown since the last review. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 4.2% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are up 2%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (4 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $66.
Lakeland Financial Corporation
LKFN · Nasdaq · USD · Market cap $1.5B · 674 employees
Lakeland Financial Corporation operates as the bank holding company for Lake City Bank that provides various banking products and services in the United States.
FAIL · Does not pass the screenAt the last full screen
2026-09-07
Screened 2026-09-07 · the tape above runs as of 17:00 UTC · two dates, stated on purpose · verdict and workings shown in full · never trimmed
This name holds its markdown label.
Lakeland Financial Corporation holds its Markdown at $60.57. The statistical read favours the sellers, held for 368 days.
| Phase | Markdown · caution |
| Quantitative state | The statistical read favours the sellers, held for 368 days |
| Price at the screen | $60.57 |
| Valuation | 13.89 trailing · 13.44 forward price to earnings |
| Values screen | FAIL · score 30.0 |
| Beta | 0.71 |
Five Screens, Shown in Full
Does not pass. Prohibited keyword in sector/industry: bank
| Test | Figure | Limit | What it means | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business activity | Excluded | Core business clean | Prohibited keyword in sector/industry: bank | Fail |
| Debt load | Excluded | Below 33% | Interest-bearing debt is of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows. | Fail |
| Interest-bearing cash | Excluded | Below 33% | Interest-bearing cash and securities are of assets, above the one-third limit. | Fail |
| Receivables | Excluded | Below 49% | Money owed to the company is of assets, above the 49% limit. | Fail |
| Revenue purity | Excluded | Below 5% | of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, over the 5% line. | Fail |
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
What the Numbers Say It Is WorthThe Fair Value Range
Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-09-07 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. A 8.6% margin of safety to the base estimate.
Third-party analyst targets: 4 covering, consensus None. The average target sits +10% from the screen price.
Reading the gap · Both our model and the analysts see meaningful upside from here.
Price History & ProjectionsWhere it has been, where the models see it going. History from market close data; projection points are our fair-value estimates and third-party analyst targets, dated to the 2026-09-07 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain WordsRegional Bank Numbers Look Solid But We Pass
Every time a Midwest family opens a checking account or a local firm needs a loan, the cash flows through one of these community banks. Lakeland shows respectable momentum with 19 percent revenue growth, a 41 percent profit margin and 15 percent ROE, yet none of that matters once the ethical screen flags the sector outright.
We are staying away for that single reason. The shares trade at a 14 times forward multiple with only a 6 percent margin of safety to our fair value and analysts sit on a hold rating with a 66 dollar median target. Those details would normally invite closer scrutiny, but the screen exists precisely to remove the entire category from consideration.
Risk sits in the usual cyclical exposure to interest rates and credit cycles that can turn quickly for regional lenders. This is exactly what the screen is for. Analysis, not advice.
| Forward P/E | 13.4xpriced for continued growth |
| Trailing P/E | 13.9xreasonably valued |
| EPS, trailing | 4.36 |
| EPS, forward | 4.51 |
| Revenue growth | +9.2%steady growth |
| Profit margin | 40.6%highly profitable on every dollar of sales |
| Return on equity | 15.0%a solid return on shareholder capital |
| Dividend yield | 337.00% |
| Beta | 0.71steadier than the market |
| Short interest, float | 0.11% |
| 52-week range | 54.36 - 68.40 |
| Market cap | $1.5B |
| Employees | 674 |
The risks · The things to watch: it's a small-cap, so the share price can swing harder than the market.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to TradeLKFN trades on Nasdaq. As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
Every Entry, As Written
The framework has shifted from distribution to accumulation since the last review. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved up 1.4% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are up 2%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (4 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $66.
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are up 2%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 17%. The street (4 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $66.
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns.
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.
| Period | Price then | Price return | Divs per share | $1,000 became | Total return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $60.06 | +1.5% | · | $1,015 | +1.5% |
| 2 months | $60.35 | +1.1% | $0.52 | $1,019 | +1.9% |
| 3 months | $56.09 | +8.7% | $0.52 | $1,097 | +9.7% |
| 6 months | $58.82 | +3.7% | $1.04 | $1,054 | +5.4% |
| 1 year | $59.81 | +2.0% | $2.04 | $1,054 | +5.4% |
| 2 years | $56.50 | +7.9% | $4.00 | $1,150 | +15.0% |
| 3 years | $49.74 | +22.6% | $5.88 | $1,344 | +34.4% |
| 5 years | $51.85 | +17.6% | $9.08 | $1,351 | +35.1% |
Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever LKFN does next, these words stay.
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Join the deskScreening is research, not a fatwa and not financial advice. Figures are drawn from public accounts at the screen date shown. Always manage your risk.