Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Shares Sold by Exeter Financial LLC

Exeter Financial LLC lessened its holdings in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 10.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,955 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,500 shares during the quarter. Exeter Financial LLC’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $866,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nicola Wealth Management LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the third quarter worth $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 raised its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,618,570 shares during the last quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 36.0% in the 4th quarter. Insight Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 61,950 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,140,000 after buying an additional 16,412 shares during the period. Finally, Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake 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 worth $10,115,000 after buying an additional 44,057 shares during the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

LW opened at $60.81 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.67 billion, a PE ratio of 14.27, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $52.99 and a twelve month high of $110.61. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $72.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $69.98.

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

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This is a positive change from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is currently 58.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LW has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup cut Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $70.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Lamb Weston has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $81.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Charles A. Blixt purchased 1,200 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $63.25 per share, with a total value of $75,900.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at $1,453,611.50. This represents a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

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.