Level Four Advisory Services LLC Lowers Position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Level Four Advisory Services LLC decreased its holdings in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 0.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 202,486 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 246 shares during the period. Level Four Advisory Services LLC owned approximately 0.14% of Lamb Weston worth $13,532,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LW. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Lamb Weston by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,213,508 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $78,563,000 after purchasing an additional 9,614 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 39.3% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 156,242 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $10,115,000 after purchasing an additional 44,057 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in Lamb Weston by 172.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 25,063 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,623,000 after buying an additional 15,878 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Lamb Weston by 614.4% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 693 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 596 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in Lamb Weston by 13.6% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 20,680 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,339,000 after purchasing an additional 2,482 shares in the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on LW. StockNews.com upgraded Lamb Weston to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Barclays cut their price target on Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $76.73.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Robert A. Niblock acquired 3,000 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $60.94 per share, for a total transaction of $182,820.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 26,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,609,181.64. This trade represents a 12.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE LW opened at $53.93 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $55.85 and its 200 day moving average is $65.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.32, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.35. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $47.90 and a 52 week high of $107.50.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is 58.50%.

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.