Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Shares Sold by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lessened its holdings in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 14.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,765 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 8,198 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank's holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $3,259,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. West Oak Capital LLC increased 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 buying an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Lamb Weston during the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Lamb Weston in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors own 89.56% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lamb Weston news, Director Charles A. Blixt purchased 1,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $63.25 per share, with a total value of $75,900.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at $1,453,611.50. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert A. Niblock acquired 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 purchase, 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 disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.72% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LW has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup downgraded 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 decreased their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target 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, 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 assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Lamb Weston presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $76.73.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 0.4 %

LW traded down $0.20 on Wednesday, hitting $52.69. 1,271,018 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,658,960. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.35. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $47.90 and a 12 month high of $107.50. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $56.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.52 billion, a PE ratio of 20.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.76.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.01 by ($0.35). Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.82% and a net margin of 5.80%. The business had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.45 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.81%. This is a positive change from Lamb Weston's previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. Lamb Weston's payout ratio is 58.50%.

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.