Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Shares Acquired by Keating Investment Counselors Inc.

Keating Investment Counselors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 15.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 46,777 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 6,405 shares during the period. Lamb Weston makes up 1.0% of Keating Investment Counselors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Keating Investment Counselors Inc.'s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $3,126,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LW. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in Lamb Weston in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its stake in Lamb Weston by 155.7% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

LW traded down $1.06 during trading on Friday, hitting $55.76. The stock had a trading volume of 2,041,577 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,245,023. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.04, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 0.72. The company's 50-day moving average price is $62.21 and its 200 day moving average price is $67.39. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $52.99 and a twelve month high of $107.50.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.01 by ($0.35). The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.45 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a $0.37 dividend. 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 2.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. Lamb Weston's payout ratio is currently 58.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lamb Weston

In related news, Director Robert A. Niblock purchased 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $60.94 per share, with a total value of $182,820.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 26,406 shares in the company, valued at $1,609,181.64. This trade represents a 12.82 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt purchased 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $63.25 per share, for a total transaction of $75,900.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on LW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Citigroup downgraded shares of Lamb Weston from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lamb Weston currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $81.00.

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.