Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. Has $10.91 Million Stake in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. reduced its position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 60.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 163,295 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 247,939 shares during the quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.11% of Lamb Weston worth $10,913,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Lamb Weston by 2.4% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 165,953 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $10,744,000 after purchasing an additional 3,927 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp grew its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 112.5% during the third quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 5,221 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $338,000 after acquiring an additional 2,764 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 88.1% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,023 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 479 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 2.2% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 344,106 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $22,277,000 after acquiring an additional 7,449 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its stake in Lamb Weston by 98.5% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 25,848 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,673,000 after purchasing an additional 12,827 shares in the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Activity at Lamb Weston

In related news, Director Robert A. Niblock bought 3,000 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $60.94 per share, for a total transaction of $182,820.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 26,406 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,609,181.64. This represents a 12.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt bought 1,200 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $63.25 per share, with a total value of $75,900.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 22,982 shares of the company's stock, 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. 0.72% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

LW stock traded down $0.20 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $52.69. 1,723,411 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,721,231. 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 52 week low of $47.90 and a 52 week high of $107.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $56.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.52 billion, a PE ratio of 20.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.76.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.01 by ($0.35). Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.45 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.81%. This is a boost from Lamb Weston's previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio is 58.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on LW. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set a "market perform" rating and a $85.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Lamb Weston to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lamb Weston presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $76.73.

About Lamb Weston

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.