BNP Paribas Financial Markets Buys 15,708 Shares of Lifetime Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:LCUT)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of Lifetime Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:LCUT) by 657.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,096 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 15,708 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Lifetime Brands were worth $118,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its position in shares of Lifetime Brands by 28.5% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 20,621 shares of the company’s stock worth $177,000 after acquiring an additional 4,575 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Lifetime Brands by 5.3% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 96,093 shares of the company’s stock valued at $628,000 after purchasing an additional 4,824 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new position in Lifetime Brands in the second quarter worth $87,000. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in Lifetime Brands by 579.0% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 13,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $113,000 after buying an additional 11,233 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP increased its holdings in Lifetime Brands by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 130,841 shares of the company’s stock valued at $856,000 after buying an additional 11,547 shares during the period. 40.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LCUT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lifetime Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. DA Davidson cut their price target on shares of Lifetime Brands from $14.00 to $11.50 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price target on Lifetime Brands from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 18th.

Lifetime Brands Trading Down 6.7 %

Shares of Lifetime Brands stock opened at $5.82 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $128.95 million, a P/E ratio of -5.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.29. Lifetime Brands, Inc. has a 12-month low of $5.25 and a 12-month high of $11.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $6.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $7.15.

Lifetime Brands (NASDAQ:LCUT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by ($0.17). The firm had revenue of $183.84 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $193.90 million. Lifetime Brands had a negative net margin of 3.19% and a positive return on equity of 3.13%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.36 EPS. Research analysts expect that Lifetime Brands, Inc. will post 0.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lifetime Brands Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a $0.043 dividend. This represents a $0.17 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. Lifetime Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently -17.17%.

About Lifetime Brands

Lifetime Brands, Inc designs, sources, and sells branded kitchenware, tableware, and other products for use in the home in the worldwide. The company provides kitchenware products, including kitchen tools and gadgets, cutlery, kitchen scales, thermometers, cutting boards, shears, cookware, pantryware, spice racks, and bakeware; and tableware products comprising dinnerware, stemware, flatware, and giftware.