Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) is Platinum Investment Management Ltd.’s 9th Largest Position

Platinum Investment Management Ltd. decreased its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 6.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,002,213 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 65,016 shares during the quarter. Lamb Weston makes up approximately 3.9% of Platinum Investment Management Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Platinum Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $66,978,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its stake in Lamb Weston by 155.7% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Lamb Weston news, Director Robert A. Niblock bought 3,000 shares of Lamb Weston 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 completion of the transaction, 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 position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt bought 1,200 shares of Lamb Weston 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 transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on LW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began 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. Barclays dropped their target price on Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $76.73.

Lamb Weston Stock Down 1.3 %

Lamb Weston stock opened at $52.88 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.76. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $47.90 and a fifty-two week high of $107.50. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $56.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.39.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last posted its 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 firm 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.45 EPS. Analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were given a $0.37 dividend. This is an increase from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.