39,520 Shares in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Purchased by Alberta Investment Management Corp

Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 39,520 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,641,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,221,665 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $402,791,000 after acquiring an additional 549,812 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Lamb Weston by 0.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,388,056 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $218,598,000 after purchasing an additional 24,097 shares during the period. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings 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 valued at $201,207,000 after purchasing an additional 1,618,570 shares in the last quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $129,480,000. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 31.6% in the 3rd quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,951,025 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $126,309,000 after buying an additional 468,190 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE LW opened at $56.76 on Friday. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $52.99 and a 1-year high of $107.50. The company has a 50-day moving average of $62.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.40. The company has a market cap of $8.10 billion, a PE ratio of 22.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.42 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.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last posted 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 company had revenue of $1.60 billion during 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%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.45 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued 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 is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.61%. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert A. Niblock purchased 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The shares were bought 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 in the company, valued at $1,609,181.64. This trade represents a 12.82 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt acquired 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $63.25 per share, with a total value of $75,900.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 22,982 shares of the company’s stock, 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. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on LW shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price target on the stock. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $81.00.

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.