Miracle Mile Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 21,534 Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 21,534 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,439,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. City State Bank increased its position in Lamb Weston by 56.2% during the 3rd quarter. City State Bank now owns 417 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. West Oak Capital LLC grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 143.8% during the third 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 period. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:LW traded down $0.67 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $59.15. 2,245,898 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,505,600. The firm has a market cap of $8.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.88, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.73. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $52.99 and a 52-week high of $110.61. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $72.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $69.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 1.19.

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 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 firm had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. Lamb Weston's revenue for the quarter was down 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 4.26 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. Lamb Weston's payout ratio is 58.50%.

Insider Activity at Lamb Weston

In related news, Director Robert A. Niblock bought 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $60.94 per share, with a total value of $182,820.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 26,406 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,609,181.64. This trade represents a 12.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt purchased 1,200 shares of Lamb Weston 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 22,982 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,453,611.50. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup downgraded Lamb Weston from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $70.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They set a "hold" rating and a $81.00 price objective for the company. Eight investment 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.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $81.00.

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.