Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Shares Acquired by Cohen & Steers Inc.

Cohen & Steers Inc. increased its stake in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 98.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 68,864 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 34,079 shares during the quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc.'s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $4,602,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 4,494 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $300,000 after acquiring an additional 550 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Lamb Weston by 44.9% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 7,222 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $483,000 after purchasing an additional 2,237 shares during the last quarter. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC boosted its position in Lamb Weston by 68.3% during the fourth quarter. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC now owns 10,100 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $675,000 after purchasing an additional 4,100 shares in the last quarter. Argent Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter valued at $217,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter worth about $19,802,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.56% of the company's stock.

Lamb Weston Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE LW traded up $0.05 on Friday, hitting $53.45. The company had a trading volume of 1,458,887 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,679,433. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.13, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48. 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 Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $47.90 and a 12-month high of $89.51. The business has a 50 day moving average of $53.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $64.72.

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

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The firm 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 $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on LW shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Lamb Weston to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Lamb Weston from $72.00 to $66.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. 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. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $63.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 4th. 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $71.27.

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.