Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Director Buys $75,900.00 in Stock

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Director Charles A. Blixt purchased 1,200 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $63.25 per share, for a total transaction of $75,900.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at $1,453,611.50. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Lamb Weston Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of Lamb Weston stock opened at $63.69 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. The company has a market cap of $9.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.95, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.70. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $76.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $72.08. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $52.99 and a 52-week high of $111.88.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.01 by ($0.35). Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 34.33% and a net margin of 9.57%. The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.45 earnings per share. Lamb Weston’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 4.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This is a boost from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.50%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Nicola Wealth Management LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the third quarter valued at $6,474,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,279,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Lamb Weston by 108.7% during the 3rd quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,107,929 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $201,207,000 after purchasing an additional 1,618,570 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 39.3% in the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 156,242 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $10,115,000 after purchasing an additional 44,057 shares during the period. Finally, First Financial Bankshares Inc purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the third quarter worth about $6,506,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $81.00 target price for the company. Barclays cut their price target on Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lamb Weston currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $81.00.

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.