Alberta Investment Management Corp Buys New Stake in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Alberta Investment Management Corp bought a new stake in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 39,520 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $2,641,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 155.7% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Lamb Weston to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. 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 report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $81.00.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

LW stock traded down $3.67 during trading on Monday, hitting $52.14. The company had a trading volume of 5,650,978 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,342,337. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $61.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $67.48. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $51.96 and a 1-year high of $107.50. The firm has a market cap of $7.44 billion, a PE ratio of 20.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.72.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last released its 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 business had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.45 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This is a boost from Lamb Weston's previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.84%. Lamb Weston's payout ratio is presently 58.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Charles A. Blixt purchased 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $63.25 per share, for a total transaction of $75,900.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,453,611.50. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert A. Niblock purchased 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $60.94 per share, for a total transaction of $182,820.00. Following the acquisition, 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. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.