Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Purchases 14,583 Shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 6.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 232,859 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 14,583 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.16% of Lamb Weston worth $15,259,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. West Oak Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 155.7% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Advantage Trust Co acquired a new position in Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. 89.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE:LW traded down $0.46 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $59.11. 5,115,775 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,739,646. The company has a market capitalization of $8.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The company's 50 day moving average is $55.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.56. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $47.90 and a twelve month high of $89.51.

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

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.50%.

Insider Activity at Lamb Weston

In related news, Director Robert A. Niblock acquired 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $60.94 per share, with a total value of $182,820.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 26,406 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,609,181.64. This trade represents a 12.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LW has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays dropped their price target 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. Citigroup cut Lamb Weston from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the company from $90.00 to $68.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $63.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lamb Weston to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. One research 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. According to MarketBeat, Lamb Weston has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $73.09.

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.