Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Shares Bought by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 13.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 215,256 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 25,350 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.15% of Lamb Weston worth $14,386,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. West Oak Capital LLC raised its position in Lamb Weston by 155.7% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Advantage Trust Co purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $57.00 price target on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lamb Weston from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $72.00 to $66.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $56.00 price objective on shares of Lamb Weston and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lamb Weston presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $70.64.

Lamb Weston Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE LW opened at $51.90 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm's 50-day moving average is $53.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $63.97. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $47.90 and a 12-month high of $89.51. The company has a market capitalization of $7.32 billion, a PE ratio of 20.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.23. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.82% and a net margin of 5.80%. The firm had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.20 EPS. Lamb Weston's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be issued a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.85%. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.04%.

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.

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