Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Purchases 348 Shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,248 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 348 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $1,432,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LW. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC grew its position in Lamb Weston by 113.4% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 303 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Lamb Weston by 24.4% in the 3rd quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 582 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in Lamb Weston by 17.6% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,084 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $100,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in Lamb Weston by 300.6% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,294 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $120,000 after acquiring an additional 971 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Lamb Weston by 537.1% in the fourth quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,134 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $123,000 after acquiring an additional 956 shares during the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

Shares of LW stock opened at $84.52 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.28, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $96.26 and its 200 day moving average is $98.62. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $77.41 and a 12 month high of $117.38.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 4th. The specialty retailer reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.40 by ($0.20). Lamb Weston had a net margin of 16.71% and a return on equity of 50.74%. The firm had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.65 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.43 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is 19.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on LW shares. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $132.00 to $106.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 8th. StockNews.com cut shares of Lamb Weston from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, January 5th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $125.00 to $105.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Monday, March 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $128.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lamb Weston presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $117.40.

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.