Guidance Capital Inc. Raises Position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Guidance Capital Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 41.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,266 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,463 shares during the period. Guidance Capital Inc.’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $1,020,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LW. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter worth about $129,480,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC lifted 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 worth $201,207,000 after acquiring an additional 1,618,570 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $86,883,000. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC acquired a new position in Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,382,000. Finally, State Street Corp grew its stake in Lamb Weston by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,221,665 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $402,791,000 after buying an additional 549,812 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on LW shares. Bank of America lifted their price target on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Lamb Weston in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $81.00 target price for the company. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $81.00.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of LW opened at $59.14 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $67.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $67.78. 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 12-month low of $52.99 and a 12-month high of $107.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.72.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.82% and a net margin of 5.80%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.45 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The firm 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 $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.50%. 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 dividend payout ratio is 58.50%.

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.