Insider Buying: Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Director Acquires 1,200 Shares of Stock

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Director Charles A. Blixt bought 1,200 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $63.25 per share, with a total value of $75,900.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 22,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,453,611.50. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Lamb Weston Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE LW opened at $63.69 on Thursday. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $52.99 and a 52-week high of $111.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $76.43 and its 200-day simple moving average is $72.08. The firm has a market cap of $9.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.70.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.01 by ($0.35). The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 34.33% and a net margin of 9.57%. Lamb Weston’s quarterly revenue was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.45 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 4.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This is a boost from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is 58.50%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamb Weston

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of LW. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 165,953 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $10,744,000 after purchasing an additional 3,927 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its stake in Lamb Weston by 22.5% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 4,075 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 749 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in Lamb Weston by 52.0% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 35,089 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,272,000 after buying an additional 12,010 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter worth $63,000. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 49.5% during the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 65,331 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,230,000 after acquiring an additional 21,639 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LW has been the topic of several analyst reports. TD Cowen increased their price target on Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Citigroup cut Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lamb Weston currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.