Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Lowers Position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. trimmed its position in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 84.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,909 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 26,298 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $328,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. City State Bank grew its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 56.2% during the third quarter. City State Bank now owns 417 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Lamb Weston during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. West Oak Capital LLC grew its stake in Lamb Weston by 155.7% in the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 143.8% during the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 573 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 338 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on LW shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $70.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 price objective on the stock. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $81.00.

Insider Transactions at Lamb Weston

In related news, Director Robert A. Niblock acquired 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $60.94 per share, for a total transaction of $182,820.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 26,406 shares in the company, valued at $1,609,181.64. This trade represents a 12.82 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt bought 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $63.25 per share, with a total value of $75,900.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at $1,453,611.50. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

Shares of LW opened at $60.62 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $68.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.35. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $52.99 and a 1 year high of $107.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.65 billion, a PE ratio of 23.96, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.73.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.01 by ($0.35). The business had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.82% and a net margin of 5.80%. Lamb Weston’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.45 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. This is an increase from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.50%.

Lamb Weston Profile

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.