Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. Increases Holdings in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 94.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 411,234 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 200,196 shares during the period. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. owned approximately 0.29% of Lamb Weston worth $26,623,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. City State Bank boosted its stake in Lamb Weston by 56.2% during the third quarter. City State Bank now owns 417 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 357.5% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the period. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 135.8% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 382 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the period. 89.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Trading Up 0.3 %

LW stock traded up $0.25 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $81.45. 456,922 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,512,040. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $74.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.61 billion, a PE ratio of 19.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.72. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $52.99 and a 1-year high of $111.88.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 1st. The specialty retailer reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.01. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 34.33% and a net margin of 9.57%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.55 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.63 earnings per share. Lamb Weston's quarterly revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 4.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 1st. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio is presently 33.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on LW. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Citigroup upped their target price on Lamb Weston from $76.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Consumer Edge downgraded Lamb Weston from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $68.00 target price (up previously from $63.00) on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Lamb Weston from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lamb Weston currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $82.22.

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.