Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Director Robert A. Niblock Acquires 3,000 Shares of Stock

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Director Robert A. Niblock acquired 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 acquisition, the director now owns 26,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,609,181.64. This represents a 12.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Lamb Weston Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of LW opened at $59.74 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.02, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.73. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $52.99 and a 52 week high of $110.61. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $72.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.01 by ($0.35). The company had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 34.33% and a net margin of 9.57%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.45 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 4.26 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This is a positive change from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.50%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of LW. Nicola Wealth Management LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter valued at about $6,474,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,279,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 1,618,570 shares during the period. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 36.0% in the fourth quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 61,950 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,140,000 after buying an additional 16,412 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 39.3% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 156,242 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $10,115,000 after buying an additional 44,057 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on LW shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price 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. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Lamb Weston from $70.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Lamb Weston presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $81.00.

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.