Inspire Investing LLC Lowers Position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Inspire Investing LLC trimmed its position in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 5.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 17,572 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,099 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $1,174,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Lamb Weston by 13.5% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 24,958 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,668,000 after purchasing an additional 2,970 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter worth approximately $203,000. Liberty One Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 697.4% during the 4th quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 350,268 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $23,408,000 after buying an additional 306,343 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Lamb Weston by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,343 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $892,000 after acquiring an additional 817 shares during the period. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter worth $927,000. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lamb Weston

In related news, Director Robert A. Niblock purchased 3,000 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $60.94 per share, with a total value of $182,820.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 26,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,609,181.64. The trade was a 12.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt acquired 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $63.25 per share, for a total transaction of $75,900.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,453,611.50. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Stock Down 0.6 %

NYSE LW opened at $60.52 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $70.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $68.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The firm has a market cap of $8.63 billion, a PE ratio of 23.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.73. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $52.99 and a 52 week high of $109.41.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.01 by ($0.35). The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.11 earnings per share for the current 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 is a boost from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.45%. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price objective on the stock. 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 report on Tuesday, December 17th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.