First Financial Bankshares Inc Sells 10,914 Shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

First Financial Bankshares Inc cut its position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 10.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 89,588 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 10,914 shares during the quarter. First Financial Bankshares Inc’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $5,987,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. West Oak Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 155.7% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on LW. Barclays decreased their target price on Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Citigroup cut Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Lamb Weston to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $76.73.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lamb Weston

In related news, Director Charles A. Blixt purchased 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $63.25 per share, with a total value of $75,900.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,453,611.50. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert A. Niblock acquired 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $60.94 per share, with a total value of $182,820.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,406 shares in the company, valued at $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. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:LW opened at $52.88 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.54 billion, a PE ratio of 20.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.35. The company’s fifty day moving average is $56.82 and its 200-day moving average is $66.39. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $47.90 and a 52 week high of $107.50.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.01 by ($0.35). The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion for 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%. Lamb Weston’s quarterly revenue was down 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80%. This is a boost from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.