Boston Trust Walden Corp Has $44.71 Million Stock Holdings in Lancaster Colony Co. (NASDAQ:LANC)

Boston Trust Walden Corp cut its stake in Lancaster Colony Co. (NASDAQ:LANC - Free Report) by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 253,234 shares of the company's stock after selling 62,979 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned 0.92% of Lancaster Colony worth $44,714,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LANC. Consolidated Planning Corp lifted its position in shares of Lancaster Colony by 4.5% during the second quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp now owns 1,232 shares of the company's stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its stake in Lancaster Colony by 0.3% during the first quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 25,570 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,309,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Lancaster Colony by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 1,686 shares of the company's stock worth $298,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in Lancaster Colony by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 15,179 shares of the company's stock worth $2,868,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of Lancaster Colony by 115.9% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 177 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. 66.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Elliot K. Fullen bought 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $169.00 per share, for a total transaction of $507,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 5,298 shares of the company's stock, valued at $895,362. The trade was a 100.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 29.60% of the company's stock.

Lancaster Colony Trading Up 0.4 %

LANC stock traded up $0.73 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $177.21. 113,692 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 128,559. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $177.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $185.19. The company has a market cap of $4.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.77 and a beta of 0.35. Lancaster Colony Co. has a one year low of $160.01 and a one year high of $215.31.

Lancaster Colony (NASDAQ:LANC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.41 by ($0.06). Lancaster Colony had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 19.61%. The business had revenue of $452.83 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $462.70 million. Analysts forecast that Lancaster Colony Co. will post 6.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Lancaster Colony Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th were issued a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 9th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.03%. Lancaster Colony's dividend payout ratio is currently 74.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut Lancaster Colony from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Loop Capital cut their target price on Lancaster Colony from $236.00 to $232.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 26th. Stephens reduced their price target on shares of Lancaster Colony from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Lancaster Colony in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $195.75.

Lancaster Colony Company Profile

Lancaster Colony Corporation engages in the manufacturing and marketing of specialty food products for the retail and foodservice channels in the United States. It operates in two segments, Retail and Foodservice. The company offers frozen garlic bread under the New York BRAND Bakery; frozen Parkerhouse style yeast and dinner rolls under the Sister Schubert's brand; salad dressings under the Marzetti, Simply Dressed, Cardini's, and Girard's brands; vegetable and fruit dips under the Marzetti brand; croutons and salad toppings under the New York BRAND Bakery, Chatham Village, and Marzetti brands; and frozen pasta under the Marzetti Frozen Pasta brand.