Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Shares Sold by CENTRAL TRUST Co

CENTRAL TRUST Co cut its stake in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 59.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,456 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 9,628 shares during the quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co's holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $431,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of LW. City State Bank boosted its stake in Lamb Weston by 56.2% in the third quarter. City State Bank now owns 417 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in Lamb Weston in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. West Oak Capital LLC grew its holdings in Lamb Weston by 155.7% during the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston in the third quarter worth $35,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC raised its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 143.8% in the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 573 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 338 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.56% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lamb Weston news, Director Charles A. Blixt bought 1,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $63.25 per share, for a total transaction of $75,900.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,453,611.50. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert A. Niblock acquired 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The shares were 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 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on LW. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $85.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Finally, Citigroup downgraded shares of Lamb Weston from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $68.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $81.00.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of Lamb Weston stock traded down $0.60 during trading on Friday, reaching $58.86. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,152,538 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,150,426. The company has a market cap of $8.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.26, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.72. The firm's 50-day moving average is $66.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.52. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $52.99 and a 52-week high of $107.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last announced 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). Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. The company had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.45 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.51%. 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 payout ratio is currently 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.