Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Shares Sold by First Horizon Advisors Inc.

First Horizon Advisors Inc. cut its holdings in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 74.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 719 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 2,054 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $48,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston during the third quarter worth approximately $129,480,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Lamb Weston by 108.7% during 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 acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston during the third quarter worth approximately $86,883,000. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston during the third quarter worth approximately $38,382,000. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its position in Lamb Weston by 9.7% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,221,665 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $402,791,000 after acquiring an additional 549,812 shares during the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup lowered shares of Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. 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 report on Monday, December 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $81.00.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

Shares of LW stock opened at $51.41 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $60.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.31. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $50.74 and a 52 week high of $107.50. 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 has a market cap of $7.33 billion, a PE ratio of 20.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by ($0.35). Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. The business had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.45 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS 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 2.88%. 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%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Robert A. Niblock purchased 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $60.94 per share, with a total value of $182,820.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 26,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,609,181.64. This represents a 12.82 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt purchased 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $63.25 per share, for a total transaction of $75,900.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at $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. Insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

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.