Meyer Handelman Co. Lowers Stock Position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Meyer Handelman Co. lessened its stake in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 7.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 117,042 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 10,079 shares during the quarter. Meyer Handelman Co. owned about 0.08% of Lamb Weston worth $7,822,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. City State Bank increased its position in Lamb Weston by 56.2% in the 3rd quarter. City State Bank now owns 417 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. West Oak Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 155.7% during the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the third quarter worth $35,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC grew its position in Lamb Weston by 143.8% in the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 573 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

Shares of Lamb Weston stock traded down $0.67 on Wednesday, hitting $59.15. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,658,887 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,396,426. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $72.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $69.81. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $52.99 and a 52-week high of $110.61. The company has a market capitalization of $8.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.73.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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). Lamb Weston had a net margin of 9.57% and a return on equity of 34.33%. The business had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.45 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 4.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.50%. This is a boost from Lamb Weston's previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. Lamb Weston's payout ratio is 58.50%.

Insider Activity at Lamb Weston

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on LW. Citigroup downgraded shares of Lamb Weston from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. 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. Barclays dropped their target price on Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Bank of America raised their price target on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, 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 price objective on the stock. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lamb Weston presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $81.00.

Lamb Weston Company 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.