Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Stock Holdings Lifted by First National Trust Co

First National Trust Co lifted its position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 4.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 32,046 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,350 shares during the period. First National Trust Co’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $2,142,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LW. State Street Corp grew 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 valued at $402,791,000 after purchasing an additional 549,812 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position 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 valued at $218,598,000 after purchasing an additional 24,097 shares in the last quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC grew 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 valued at $201,207,000 after purchasing an additional 1,618,570 shares in the last quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston in the third quarter valued at approximately $129,480,000. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in Lamb Weston by 31.6% in the third quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,951,025 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $126,309,000 after acquiring an additional 468,190 shares during the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Trading Up 4.8 %

Shares of Lamb Weston stock opened at $50.98 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.27 billion, a PE ratio of 20.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.76. 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’s fifty day moving average price is $57.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.44. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $47.90 and a 52-week high of $107.50.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last announced 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). The business had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.45 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were issued a $0.37 dividend. This is a positive change from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.90%. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.50%.

Insider Transactions at Lamb Weston

In other news, Director Robert A. Niblock bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $60.94 per share, with a total value of $182,820.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 26,406 shares in the company, valued at $1,609,181.64. This trade represents a 12.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt bought 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $63.25 per share, for a total transaction of $75,900.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at $1,453,611.50. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.72% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on LW. Citigroup cut shares of Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $81.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lamb Weston to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $76.73.

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.