Fisher Funds Management LTD Acquires Shares of 24,666 Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Fisher Funds Management LTD bought a new position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 24,666 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,647,000.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. West Oak Capital LLC boosted its stake in Lamb Weston by 155.7% in the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the third quarter worth $39,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the third quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Lamb Weston during the third quarter valued at $40,000. 89.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Lamb Weston news, Director Charles A. Blixt bought 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 acquisition, the director now directly owns 22,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,453,611.50. This represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert A. Niblock purchased 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $60.94 per share, for a total transaction of $182,820.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 26,406 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,609,181.64. This trade represents a 12.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays decreased their price objective on Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target 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. Citigroup lowered shares of Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price target on the stock. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $81.00.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:LW opened at $55.76 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.95 billion, a PE ratio of 22.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.72. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $52.99 and a 1 year high of $107.50. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $62.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.53.

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 27.82% and a net margin of 5.80%. The company had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.45 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 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. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This is an increase from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.50%.

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.