Marshall Wace LLP Acquires Shares of 47,050 Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 47,050 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $3,144,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. West Oak Capital LLC grew its position 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 last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Advantage Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company's stock.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

Shares of Lamb Weston stock traded down $0.07 during trading on Monday, reaching $51.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,353,789 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,661,570. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $47.90 and a one year high of $89.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.35. The firm has a market cap of $7.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48. The business's fifty day moving average price is $53.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $63.97.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.23. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.82% and a net margin of 5.80%. The firm had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.20 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.85%. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio is 58.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lamb Weston from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $57.00 target price on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Lamb Weston from $72.00 to $66.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $56.00 target price on Lamb Weston and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.64.

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.