Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Shares Sold by Caprock Group LLC

Caprock Group LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 12.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,017 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 594 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $268,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter valued at about $129,480,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 108.7% in the third quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,107,929 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $201,207,000 after acquiring an additional 1,618,570 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the third quarter worth approximately $86,883,000. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,382,000. Finally, State Street Corp raised its position in Lamb Weston by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,221,665 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $402,791,000 after purchasing an additional 549,812 shares during the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on LW shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Citigroup cut Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lamb Weston presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $81.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Charles A. Blixt bought 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 acquisition, the director now owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at $1,453,611.50. This represents a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert A. Niblock purchased 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $60.94 per share, with a total value of $182,820.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 26,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,609,181.64. The trade was a 12.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

Lamb Weston stock opened at $59.46 on Friday. 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 one year low of $52.99 and a one year high of $107.50. The company has a market cap of $8.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a fifty day moving average of $66.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.71.

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

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a $0.37 dividend. This is an increase from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.50%.

Lamb Weston Company 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.