Guidance Capital Inc. Has $1.02 Million Holdings in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Guidance Capital Inc. increased its stake in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 41.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,266 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 4,463 shares during the period. Guidance Capital Inc.'s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $1,020,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 549,812 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Lamb Weston by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,388,056 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $218,598,000 after purchasing an additional 24,097 shares during the last quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Lamb Weston by 108.7% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP bought a new position in Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $129,480,000. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC raised its position in Lamb Weston by 31.6% in the 3rd quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,951,025 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $126,309,000 after purchasing an additional 468,190 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.56% of the company's stock.

Lamb Weston Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE LW traded down $0.60 on Friday, reaching $58.86. The company had a trading volume of 1,152,538 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,150,426. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.35. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $52.99 and a 1-year high of $107.50. The company's fifty day moving average is $66.17 and its 200-day moving average is $67.52.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.01 by ($0.35). The company had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.82% and a net margin of 5.80%. Lamb Weston's revenue for the quarter was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This is a boost from Lamb Weston's previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.51%. Lamb Weston's payout ratio is 58.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. 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 target price for the company. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lamb Weston presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $81.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lamb Weston news, Director Robert A. Niblock purchased 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $60.94 per share, with a total value of $182,820.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,406 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,609,181.64. This represents a 12.82 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt bought 1,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $63.25 per share, for a total transaction of $75,900.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at $1,453,611.50. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.72% of the company's stock.

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.