V Square Quantitative Management LLC Invests $27,000 in Lancaster Colony Co. (NASDAQ:LANC)

V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lancaster Colony Co. (NASDAQ:LANC) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of LANC. Blair William & Co. IL increased its stake in shares of Lancaster Colony by 2,386.6% during the 2nd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 172,075 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,517,000 after purchasing an additional 165,155 shares during the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lancaster Colony by 4,189.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 163,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,922,000 after purchasing an additional 159,981 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Lancaster Colony by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,186,162 shares of the company’s stock worth $453,913,000 after buying an additional 85,658 shares during the period. F M Investments LLC bought a new position in Lancaster Colony in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $7,997,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lancaster Colony by 1,055.2% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 36,090 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,820,000 after buying an additional 32,966 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on LANC shares. Stephens cut their price objective on shares of Lancaster Colony from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Benchmark reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Lancaster Colony in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Loop Capital cut their price objective on shares of Lancaster Colony from $236.00 to $232.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 26th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lancaster Colony from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lancaster Colony has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $195.75.

Insider Transactions at Lancaster Colony

In related news, Director Elliot K. Fullen acquired 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $169.00 per share, with a total value of $507,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 5,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $895,362. The trade was a 100.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 29.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Lancaster Colony Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LANC opened at $172.00 on Tuesday. Lancaster Colony Co. has a one year low of $160.01 and a one year high of $215.31. The company has a market cap of $4.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.68 and a beta of 0.35. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $179.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $185.83.

Lancaster Colony (NASDAQ:LANC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The company reported $1.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by ($0.06). Lancaster Colony had a return on equity of 19.61% and a net margin of 8.47%. The company had revenue of $452.83 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $462.70 million. Equities research analysts expect that Lancaster Colony Co. will post 6.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lancaster Colony Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th were issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 9th. Lancaster Colony’s dividend payout ratio is currently 74.69%.

About Lancaster Colony

Lancaster Colony Corporation engages in the manufacturing and marketing of specialty food products for the retail and foodservice channels in the United States. It operates in two segments, Retail and Foodservice. The company offers frozen garlic bread under the New York BRAND Bakery; frozen Parkerhouse style yeast and dinner rolls under the Sister Schubert's brand; salad dressings under the Marzetti, Simply Dressed, Cardini's, and Girard's brands; vegetable and fruit dips under the Marzetti brand; croutons and salad toppings under the New York BRAND Bakery, Chatham Village, and Marzetti brands; and frozen pasta under the Marzetti Frozen Pasta brand.