Insider Buying: Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Director Purchases 1,200 Shares of Stock

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Director Charles A. Blixt bought 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $63.25 per share, for a total transaction of $75,900.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at $1,453,611.50. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

Lamb Weston stock opened at $63.69 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $9.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.70. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $52.99 and a 12 month high of $111.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $76.59 and its 200-day moving average is $72.24.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last posted its quarterly 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). Lamb Weston had a net margin of 9.57% and a return on equity of 34.33%. The business had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.45 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 4.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 2.32%. 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 58.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on LW. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 target price on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $81.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LW. City State Bank grew its position in Lamb Weston by 56.2% in the third quarter. City State Bank now owns 417 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 357.5% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the period. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 143.8% in the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 573 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 338 shares in the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.