Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 25,984 Shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 7.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 318,122 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 25,984 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.22% of Lamb Weston worth $21,260,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Lamb Weston during the third quarter worth $29,000. West Oak Capital LLC boosted its holdings in 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 position in Lamb Weston during the third quarter worth $35,000. Kennebec Savings Bank acquired a new position in Lamb Weston during the third quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston in the third quarter valued at $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.56% of the company's stock.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LW traded up $1.20 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $58.47. The stock had a trading volume of 2,019,059 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,150,426. The company's 50-day moving average price is $64.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.55. The company has a market capitalization of $8.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $52.99 and a fifty-two week high of $107.50.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.01 by ($0.35). The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. Lamb Weston's quarterly revenue 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, equities research analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.53%. 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 58.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Robert A. Niblock acquired 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $60.94 per share, for a total transaction of $182,820.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt purchased 1,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,453,611.50. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.72% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $85.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $81.00 price target for the company. Citigroup cut shares of 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 research note on Friday, December 20th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. 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 MarketBeat, Lamb Weston has an average 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.