Leeward Investments LLC MA Acquires 45,904 Shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Leeward Investments LLC MA lifted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 41.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 156,473 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 45,904 shares during the period. Leeward Investments LLC MA’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $10,457,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. West Oak Capital LLC increased its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the third quarter worth about $39,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Lamb Weston during the third quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Lamb Weston during the third quarter worth about $40,000. 89.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

Shares of LW stock opened at $55.76 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.04, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.72. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $62.21 and its 200 day moving average is $67.46. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $52.99 and a 12 month high of $107.50.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last announced its quarterly 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 analysts’ expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This is a boost from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.65%. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on LW shares. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Citigroup cut shares of Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $68.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price target on the stock. 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.com, Lamb Weston currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $81.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Robert A. Niblock bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $60.94 per share, for a total transaction of $182,820.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 26,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,609,181.64. This trade represents a 12.82 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt bought 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $63.25 per share, for a total transaction of $75,900.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,453,611.50. This 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.

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.