Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Shares Bought by CENTRAL TRUST Co

CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its position in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 36.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,833 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,832 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $728,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LW. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter worth $93,553,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Lamb Weston by 406.5% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 934,530 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $86,407,000 after buying an additional 750,033 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP increased its holdings in Lamb Weston by 117.2% in the first quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 1,230,538 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $131,035,000 after buying an additional 663,985 shares in the last quarter. APG Asset Management US Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $56,699,000. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 121.7% during the 3rd quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 746,424 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $69,014,000 after acquiring an additional 409,810 shares in the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Stock Down 1.2 %

NYSE:LW traded down $1.03 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $87.74. The stock had a trading volume of 2,219,740 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,221,604. The company has a market cap of $12.67 billion, a PE ratio of 11.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.79. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $89.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $97.99. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.41 and a 1-year high of $117.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 4th. The specialty retailer reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.40 by ($0.20). The business had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 16.71% and a return on equity of 50.74%. The firm’s revenue was up 16.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.43 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 5.54 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be given a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is currently 19.23%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Monday, March 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $128.00 target price for the company. Citigroup dropped their price target on Lamb Weston from $132.00 to $106.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Lamb Weston from $138.00 to $113.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Lamb Weston from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $125.00 to $105.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $117.40.

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.