Vontobel Holding Ltd. Raises Position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 16.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,408 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $562,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. West Oak Capital LLC raised its holdings in Lamb Weston by 155.7% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

Lamb Weston stock opened at $57.12 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $52.99 and a 52-week high of $107.50. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $63.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.47. The firm 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 announced 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 company 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.45 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.59%. This is a boost from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup cut shares of Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $90.00 to $68.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $81.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $81.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.