Stock fact sheet · data as of
Lakeland Financial Corporation (LKFN): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol LKFN · Financial Services · Banks - Regional · United States · Value Quality
Is LKFN undervalued?
LKFN closed at 62.90 on 5 Nov 2026, which is 11% above the GLS average fair value of 56.81 from 9 models. 6 of them value the shares below today's price. Our scans read that as "no margin of safety": the stock is not a value candidate at this price, whatever the quality numbers say.
There is a wide gap between GLS Growth (12.47) and 10 Cap (120.23). When the models are this far apart the "fair value" is really a range, and the margin of safety above should be read with that range in mind.
Ranked against every other company we cover, LKFN is clearly cheaper than it is fast-growing, so the nightly engine files it under Value (value score 43, growth score 13, out of 100). It also carries the Quality tag (Quality = moat 7.5+ out of 10 and Piotroski 7+).
Nine valuation models for LKFN
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 61.25 | -3% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | 54.67 | -13% | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share |
| Graham Growth | 72.27 | +15% | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields |
| Lynch | 17.65 | -72% | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25% |
| GLS Growth | 12.47 | -80% | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year |
| 10 Cap | 120.23 | +91% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | 91.69 | +46% | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself |
| DDM | 30.61 | -51% | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend |
| EPV | 50.47 | -20% | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth |
| Zombie (liquidation) | -245.22 | -490% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 67.00 | +7% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
Lakeland Financial Corporation scores 7 of 9 on the Piotroski F-score, the nine yes/no tests of profitability, leverage and efficiency on the latest annual accounts - a strong reading that passes the "Piotroski 6 or more" Wheel Trade Filter with room to spare. A GLS Moat score of 9.0/10 puts LKFN among the more durable businesses we track: over up to ten years its returns on capital have stayed high, its margins steady and its balance sheet sound.
Returns on capital are moderate - ROIC 10.9%, ROE 13.6%, ROA 1.5% - with debt at 0.24 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 7.8%.
The dividend yield is 3.31% at a payout ratio of 46%; for a wheel trader holding assigned shares the dividend adds to the covered-call premium, and the ex-dividend date is worth knowing before a call is sold.
Institutional ownership scores 10/10, insider activity 3/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.
| Piotroski F-score | 7 / 9 | ROIC | 10.9% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 9.0 / 10 | ROE | 13.6% |
| Debt / equity | 0.24 | ROA | 1.5% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 7.8% | Payout ratio | 46% |
| Institutions | 10 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 3 · 5 / 10 |
Wheel Score 40: Weak
With a Wheel Score of 40 Lakeland Financial Corporation sits in the Weak band. It fails filter 1, options that actually trade - options too quiet (29 open interest, 28 a day); and filter 3, below fair value - trades 11% above our fair value; Value (weak) is its weakest part.
Implied volatility is 38% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out - inside the 35-60% sweet spot the Wheel Score rewards most: enough premium to be worth selling, not so much that the risk is unpaid. Chain open interest is thin - 29 contracts across every expiry - so fills at a fair price are not guaranteed; a 30-45-day put may not exist at a usable strike.
Volume runs at 266k shares a day on a market cap of $1.6B, with a beta of 0.77 - a low beta, so day-to-day moves are smaller than the market's; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that fair.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Fails | options too quiet (29 open interest, 28 a day) |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Passes | Profitable over the last twelve months - not a speculative stock, fund or note |
| 3 | Below fair value | Fails | trades 11% above our fair value |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Passes | Piotroski F-score 6 or more out of 9 (a company with no score on file passes) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Passes | Long-term debt repaid from 3 years of operating cash flow or less (6 for real estate and utilities; banks and insurers are not judged on it) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Passes | Implied volatility 25-80% (enough premium, not a lottery ticket) |
| 8 | Big enough | Passes | Market cap $1 billion or more |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Weak | 11% above fair value | |
| Premium | Strong | implied volatility 38% | |
| Moat | Strong | moat 9.0/10 | |
| Health | Good | Piotroski 7/9 | |
| Red Flags | Strong | Red Flags score 90/100 | |
| Option trading | Weak | 28 contracts a day, 29 open interest | |
| Stability | Fair | beta 0.77, $1.6B company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
The next earnings report is due on 25 Jan 2027, 81 days away - outside the window of a 30-45-day put sold today.
No analyst upgrades or downgrades were recorded in the last 30 days.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Banks - Regional
The 12 companies below are the closest to Lakeland Financial Corporation by market cap within the Banks - Regional industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TFIN Triumph Financial, Inc. | 64.90 | 52.95 | -23% | 34Weak | $1.6B |
| ESQ Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. | 127.36 | 131.61 | +3% | 21No options | $1.5B |
| AMAL Amalgamated Financial Corp. | 50.82 | 77.15 | +34% | 48Weak | $1.5B |
| RBCAA Republic Bancorp, Inc. | 92.78 | 89.65 | -3% | 29Weak | $1.6B |
| LOB Live Oak Bancshares, Inc. | 35.15 | 86.43 | +59% | 47Weak | $1.6B |
| BLX Bladex, Inc. | 51.27 | 161.65 | +68% | 47Weak | $1.5B |
| TMP Tompkins Financial Corporation | 102.60 | 137.17 | +25% | 46Weak | $1.5B |
| CASH Pathward Financial, Inc. | 79.01 | 238.24 | +67% | 82Good | $1.6B |
| BFC Bank First Corporation | 149.60 | 122.74 | -22% | 23No options | $1.7B |
| CNOBP ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. | 25.50 | 65.50 | +61% | 33No options | $1.7B |
| BHRB Burke & Herbert Financial Services Corp. | 71.90 | 85.16 | +16% | 25No options | $1.5B |
| CNOB ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. | 33.13 | 71.68 | +54% | 44Weak | $1.7B |
⚖ Compare LKFN with 7 of them All Financial Services stocks →
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Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about LKFN
Is LKFN undervalued right now?
No: at 62.90 the stock trades 11% above the GLS average fair value of 56.81 (data as of 5 Nov 2026). The margin of safety is negative.
What is the Wheel Score of LKFN and what does it mean?
LKFN scores 40 out of 100 (Weak) - it fails Wheel Trade Filters 1, 3. The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for LKFN?
56.81 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 9 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does Lakeland Financial Corporation report earnings next?
The next earnings report is due on 25 Jan 2027, 81 days from the data date of 5 Nov 2026. The Calendars page lists every upcoming report with its time of day.
Does LKFN have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 40 listed contracts with 29 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 38% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.