Metis Global Partners LLC Buys 276 Shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Metis Global Partners LLC grew its stake in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 6.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 4,819 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 276 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $322,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS grew its position in Lamb Weston by 0.8% during the third quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 18,756 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,214,000 after buying an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,223 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Lamb Weston by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,648 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $430,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,649 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $241,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 8,901 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $595,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

NYSE LW opened at $51.53 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.37, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.76. 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 twelve month low of $49.28 and a twelve month high of $107.50. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $59.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $67.11.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.01 by ($0.35). The company 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.45 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.87%. This is an increase from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is 58.50%.

Insider Activity

In other Lamb Weston news, Director Robert A. Niblock acquired 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $60.94 per share, with a total value of $182,820.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 26,406 shares of the company’s stock, 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 at this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt bought 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 purchase, the director now directly owns 22,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,453,611.50. This trade represents a 5.51 % 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $81.00 target price on the stock. 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 note on Monday, December 16th. 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 report on Friday, December 20th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $81.00.

Lamb Weston 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.