Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Purchases 4,701 Shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 9.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 56,470 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,701 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $3,783,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. HB Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Lamb Weston by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,343 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $892,000 after purchasing an additional 817 shares during the last quarter. Nicola Wealth Management LTD. bought a new position in Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter valued at about $6,474,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Lamb Weston by 108.7% in the 3rd quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,107,929 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $201,207,000 after acquiring an additional 1,618,570 shares in the last quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC grew its stake in Lamb Weston by 36.0% in the 4th quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 61,950 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,140,000 after acquiring an additional 16,412 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. grew its stake in Lamb Weston by 39.3% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 156,242 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $10,115,000 after acquiring an additional 44,057 shares in the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 1.0 %

NYSE:LW opened at $57.12 on Thursday. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $52.99 and a 52 week high of $107.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $63.03 and a 200 day moving average of $67.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.58, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.72.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by ($0.35). The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. The company’s revenue was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.45 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.59%. This is a positive change from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on LW shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Citigroup cut shares of Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price target for the company. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $81.00.

Insider Transactions at Lamb Weston

In other news, Director Robert A. Niblock purchased 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $60.94 per share, for a total transaction of $182,820.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 26,406 shares in the company, valued at $1,609,181.64. This represents a 12.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt purchased 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $63.25 per share, for a total transaction of $75,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 22,982 shares of the company’s stock, 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. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

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.