Ninety One UK Ltd Raises Stock Holdings in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Ninety One UK Ltd increased its stake in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 33.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 712,316 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 179,305 shares during the quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd owned 0.50% of Lamb Weston worth $47,604,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP acquired a new position in Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $129,480,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Lamb Weston by 108.7% during the third quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,107,929 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $201,207,000 after acquiring an additional 1,618,570 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new position in Lamb Weston during the third quarter worth $86,883,000. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC purchased a new position in Lamb Weston in the third quarter worth $38,382,000. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 9.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,221,665 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $402,791,000 after acquiring an additional 549,812 shares during the period. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on LW shares. Citigroup cut shares of Lamb Weston from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a "hold" rating and a $81.00 price target for the company. Bank of America upped their price target on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lamb Weston currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $81.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Robert A. Niblock acquired 3,000 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The shares were bought 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 directly owns 26,406 shares in the company, valued at $1,609,181.64. This trade represents a 12.82 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt bought 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $1,453,611.50. This represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company's stock.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of LW traded down $0.60 on Friday, hitting $58.86. 1,152,538 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,150,426. The stock's 50 day moving average is $66.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.52. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $8.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.72. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $52.99 and a 1 year high of $107.50.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last released its 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). The company had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.67 billion. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. Lamb Weston's revenue for the quarter was down 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.45 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 2.51%. This is an increase from Lamb Weston's previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.50%.

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.