Retirement Systems of Alabama Sells 177 Shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Retirement Systems of Alabama trimmed its holdings in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 30,876 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 177 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $2,063,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP purchased a new position in Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter worth $129,480,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Lamb Weston by 108.7% during the 3rd quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,107,929 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $201,207,000 after purchasing an additional 1,618,570 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter valued at $86,883,000. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC bought a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,382,000. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its position in Lamb Weston by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,221,665 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $402,791,000 after acquiring an additional 549,812 shares in the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lamb Weston

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

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

Shares of LW opened at $58.78 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $65.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.55. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $52.99 and a one year high of $107.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.35. The stock has a market cap of $8.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.72.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by ($0.35). Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.82% and a net margin of 5.80%. The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.45 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.52%. This is a positive change from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Lamb Weston in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $81.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America increased their target price on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price 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. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $81.00.

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.