Lancaster Colony (NASDAQ:LANC) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.02 EPS

Lancaster Colony (NASDAQ:LANC) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.02, Briefing.com reports. Lancaster Colony had a return on equity of 17.37% and a net margin of 6.92%. The company had revenue of $471.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $467.90 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.89 EPS. Lancaster Colony’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

Lancaster Colony Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LANC traded down $0.50 during trading on Friday, hitting $191.50. The stock had a trading volume of 149,123 shares, compared to its average volume of 137,140. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $199.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $182.30. The company has a market capitalization of $5.27 billion, a PE ratio of 40.92 and a beta of 0.39. Lancaster Colony has a 12 month low of $158.88 and a 12 month high of $220.65.

Lancaster Colony Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 7th were paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 6th. Lancaster Colony’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LANC has been the topic of several research reports. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $218.00 price objective on shares of Lancaster Colony in a report on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lancaster Colony from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lancaster Colony currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $198.75.

Insider Activity at Lancaster Colony

In related news, insider Kristin Bird sold 1,207 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.66, for a total transaction of $232,540.62. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,546 shares in the company, valued at $683,172.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 29.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Lancaster Colony

Lancaster Colony Corporation engages in the manufacturing and marketing of specialty food products for the retail and foodservice channels in the United States. It operates in two segments, Retail and Foodservice. The company offers frozen garlic bread under the New York BRAND Bakery; frozen Parkerhouse style yeast and dinner rolls under the Sister Schubert's brand; salad dressings under the Marzetti, Simply Dressed, Cardini's, and Girard's brands; vegetable and fruit dips under the Marzetti brand; croutons and salad toppings under the New York BRAND Bakery, Chatham Village, and Marzetti brands; and frozen pasta under the Marzetti Frozen Pasta brand.