Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Shares Sold by Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp

Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp lessened its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 15.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 5,584 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,032 shares during the period. Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $373,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of LW. 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. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in Lamb Weston during the third quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Lamb Weston during the third quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Stock Up 3.2 %

Shares of Lamb Weston stock opened at $51.53 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $59.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $67.11. 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 company has a market capitalization of $7.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.37, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.76. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $49.28 and a 1-year high of $107.50.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.01 by ($0.35). Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.45 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast 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 was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were issued a $0.37 dividend. This is an increase from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is presently 58.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Robert A. Niblock purchased 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $60.94 per share, for a total transaction of $182,820.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 26,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,609,181.64. The trade was a 12.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt purchased 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $63.25 per share, for a total transaction of $75,900.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly 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. Insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on LW shares. Barclays lowered their target price on Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started 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. Citigroup lowered Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $90.00 to $68.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.