Schroder Investment Management Group Makes New $275,000 Investment in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Schroder Investment Management Group purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 4,231 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $275,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. West Oak Capital LLC raised its stake in Lamb Weston by 155.7% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Advantage Trust Co acquired a new position in Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter valued at about $53,000. Institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

LW stock opened at $52.49 on Wednesday. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $47.90 and a one year high of $89.51. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $54.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.49 billion, a PE ratio of 20.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.23. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. The business had revenue of $1.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.20 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.82%. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio is 58.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert A. Niblock acquired 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $60.94 per share, for a total transaction of $182,820.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 26,406 shares in the company, valued at $1,609,181.64. This 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 can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $63.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Citigroup lowered Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $90.00 to $68.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $57.00 target price on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Lamb Weston to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.09.

Lamb Weston Company 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.