Trillium Asset Management LLC Boosts Holdings in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Trillium Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 13.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 224,023 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 26,965 shares during the quarter. Trillium Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $14,972,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. West Oak Capital LLC increased its stake 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 worth $30,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the third quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the third quarter worth $40,000. 89.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lamb Weston news, Director Robert A. Niblock bought 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $60.94 per share, with a total value of $182,820.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 26,406 shares in the company, valued at $1,609,181.64. This represents a 12.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt bought 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $63.25 per share, with a total value of $75,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at $1,453,611.50. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

Shares of LW stock opened at $52.88 on Wednesday. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $47.90 and a 12 month high of $107.50. The stock has a market cap of $7.54 billion, a PE ratio of 20.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $56.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.39.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last announced its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.45 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were paid a $0.37 dividend. This is a boost from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80%. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is presently 58.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LW has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Lamb Weston to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein began 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 on the stock. Citigroup downgraded shares of Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $76.73.

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.