HighPoint Advisor Group LLC Buys New Position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

HighPoint Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 3,262 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $335,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,842,751 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $199,183,000 after purchasing an additional 241,848 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,473,873 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $136,274,000 after buying an additional 93,127 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Lamb Weston by 15.5% in the 3rd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 1,466,175 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $135,563,000 after buying an additional 197,094 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,167,446 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $126,189,000 after acquiring an additional 21,981 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 998,572 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $107,936,000 after acquiring an additional 27,253 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on LW shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Lamb Weston from $128.00 to $98.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 5th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Monday, March 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $128.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 5th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $132.00 to $106.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Lamb Weston from $125.00 to $105.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lamb Weston currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $117.40.

Lamb Weston Stock Down 2.6 %

NYSE:LW opened at $82.49 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $85.02 and a 200-day moving average of $96.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.91 billion, a PE ratio of 11.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.75. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $77.41 and a 52 week high of $117.38.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 4th. The specialty retailer reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by ($0.20). The company had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.65 billion. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 50.74% and a net margin of 16.71%. Lamb Weston’s quarterly revenue was up 16.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.43 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 5.54 EPS for the current year.

About Lamb Weston

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc produces, distributes, and markets frozen potato products worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Global, Foodservice, Retail, and Other. It offers frozen potatoes, commercial ingredients, and appetizers under the Lamb Weston brand, as well as under various customer labels.