Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Shares Bought by Principal Securities Inc.

Principal Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 18.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,598 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 553 shares during the quarter. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $240,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $129,480,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 1,618,570 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $86,883,000. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,382,000. Finally, State Street Corp boosted 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 worth $402,791,000 after purchasing an additional 549,812 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

LW stock opened at $55.76 on Monday. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $52.99 and a 1 year high of $107.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.95 billion, a PE ratio of 22.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $62.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.53.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.01 by ($0.35). Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. The company had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.45 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This is an increase from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.65%. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is 58.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lamb Weston

In other Lamb Weston news, Director Robert A. Niblock acquired 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 transaction, the director now owns 26,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,609,181.64. This trade represents a 12.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt bought 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $63.25 per share, for a total transaction of $75,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 22,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,453,611.50. The trade was a 5.51 % 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 company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup lowered Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. 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 MarketBeat, Lamb Weston presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $81.00.

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.