South Dakota Investment Council Has $7.15 Million Holdings in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

South Dakota Investment Council lifted its holdings in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 106,910 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council owned approximately 0.07% of Lamb Weston worth $7,145,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. West Oak Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 155.7% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the third quarter valued at about $39,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the third quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the third quarter valued at about $40,000. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup cut shares of Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lamb Weston has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $81.00.

Insider Activity at Lamb Weston

In other news, Director Charles A. Blixt bought 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was acquired 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,453,611.50. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Robert A. Niblock bought 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $60.94 per share, with a total value of $182,820.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.72% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Lamb Weston Stock Down 1.9 %

LW stock opened at $55.76 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $62.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $67.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.72. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $52.99 and a 12 month high of $107.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.45 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This is a positive change from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.50%.

Lamb Weston 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.