Huntington National Bank Increases Stake in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 69,193 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 329 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $4,624,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in Lamb Weston by 33.5% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 125,014 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $8,093,000 after purchasing an additional 31,363 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 846,652 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $54,812,000 after buying an additional 59,385 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 10.8% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 6,177 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 10.1% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 9,064 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $587,000 after buying an additional 835 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the third quarter worth approximately $282,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

LW stock opened at $54.17 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The company has a market capitalization of $7.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.41, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.76. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.65. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $47.90 and a twelve month high of $103.49.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is currently 58.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lamb Weston

In related news, Director Robert A. Niblock bought 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $60.94 per share, with a total value of $182,820.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 26,406 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,609,181.64. This trade represents a 12.82 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on LW. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $72.00 to $66.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com raised shares of Lamb Weston to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. 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 report on Friday, December 20th. Citigroup downgraded Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $68.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.55.

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.