Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 26,298 Shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. decreased its stake in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 84.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,909 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 26,298 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $328,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP bought a new stake in Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter valued at $129,480,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Lamb Weston by 108.7% during the third quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,107,929 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $201,207,000 after purchasing an additional 1,618,570 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston during the third quarter valued at approximately $86,883,000. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,382,000. Finally, State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,221,665 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $402,791,000 after buying an additional 549,812 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.56% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Lamb Weston

In other news, Director Robert A. Niblock acquired 3,000 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $60.94 per share, with a total value of $182,820.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 26,406 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,609,181.64. The trade was a 12.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt bought 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $63.25 per share, with a total value of $75,900.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 22,982 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,453,611.50. This represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Lamb Weston Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of LW traded up $0.11 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $60.62. 1,774,224 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,113,513. The business has a fifty day moving average of $69.43 and a 200-day moving average of $68.64. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $8.65 billion, a PE ratio of 23.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.73. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $52.99 and a 1-year high of $107.50.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last issued 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). 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 revenue for the quarter was down 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.45 EPS. Analysts expect that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.11 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This is a boost from Lamb Weston's previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.44%. Lamb Weston's payout ratio is 56.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set a "market perform" rating and a $85.00 price target for the company. 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 note on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $70.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $81.00.

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.