Vanguard Group Inc. Acquires 58,066 Shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,646,887 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 58,066 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 11.67% of Lamb Weston worth $1,112,511,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LW. West Oak Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 155.7% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in Lamb Weston by 614.4% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 693 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 596 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lamb Weston

In related news, Director Robert A. Niblock acquired 3,000 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director now owns 26,406 shares in the company, valued at $1,609,181.64. This trade represents a 12.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

Shares of Lamb Weston stock opened at $53.95 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $55.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $65.83. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $47.90 and a 12-month high of $105.55. The firm has a market cap of $7.70 billion, a PE ratio of 21.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on LW. StockNews.com raised Lamb Weston to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Barclays dropped their target price on Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced 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 report on Friday, December 20th. Citigroup lowered shares of Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $90.00 to $68.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.55.

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.