Ballentine Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 3,032 Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Ballentine Partners LLC bought a new position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 3,032 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $203,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. City State Bank boosted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 56.2% in the 3rd quarter. City State Bank now owns 417 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. West Oak Capital LLC grew its holdings in Lamb Weston by 155.7% during the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in Lamb Weston in the third quarter worth $35,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 143.8% in the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 573 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 338 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Stock Up 0.2 %

LW opened at $60.62 on Friday. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $52.99 and a 12 month high of $107.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $69.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.73.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by ($0.35). Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.82% and a net margin of 5.80%. The company had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.45 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This is an increase from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on LW shares. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $81.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Lamb Weston in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 price target for the company. Eight investment 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 currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $81.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lamb Weston news, Director Robert A. Niblock bought 3,000 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $60.94 per share, for a total transaction of $182,820.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 26,406 shares in the company, valued at $1,609,181.64. This represents a 12.82 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt purchased 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $63.25 per share, with a total value of $75,900.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 22,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 insiders.

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.