Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Increases Position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 28.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 33,263 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,415 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $2,223,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. West Oak Capital LLC grew its holdings in Lamb Weston by 155.7% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the third quarter worth about $39,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Lamb Weston in the third quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Lamb Weston in the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Charles A. Blixt acquired 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $63.25 per share, for a total transaction of $75,900.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 22,982 shares of the company’s stock, 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 bought 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $60.94 per share, for a total transaction of $182,820.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 26,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,609,181.64. This represents a 12.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on LW shares. Citigroup downgraded Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $90.00 to $68.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective 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. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com raised 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 given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lamb Weston presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $81.00.

Lamb Weston Trading Up 0.8 %

Lamb Weston stock opened at $51.87 on Monday. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $50.28 and a 52-week high of $107.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.50, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.72. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $60.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $67.21.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.45 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were paid a $0.37 dividend. This is a boost from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.50%.

Lamb Weston Company 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.