Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Stake Lessened by Retirement Systems of Alabama

Retirement Systems of Alabama decreased its position in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 31,053 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 797 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $2,010,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 34.2% during the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,010 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $589,000 after purchasing an additional 1,786 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 251.6% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 436 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 312 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates increased its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 237.1% in the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 185,444 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $15,592,000 after buying an additional 130,428 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 86.2% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 5,946 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $500,000 after acquiring an additional 2,753 shares during the last quarter. Finally, &PARTNERS lifted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 75.8% during the 2nd quarter. &PARTNERS now owns 6,016 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $506,000 after acquiring an additional 2,594 shares during the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

Shares of LW stock opened at $62.09 on Friday. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $52.99 and a fifty-two week high of $111.88. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $76.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The firm has a market cap of $8.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.58, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.70.

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). The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 34.33% and a net margin of 9.57%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.45 EPS. Analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 4.26 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. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This is a positive change from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is presently 56.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on LW shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Lamb Weston from $70.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup downgraded shares of Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Friday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Lamb Weston in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $81.42.

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.