42,940 Shares in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Bought by Expect Equity LLC

Expect Equity LLC bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 42,940 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,870,000. Lamb Weston makes up about 3.0% of Expect Equity LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Research Global Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $423,270,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter valued at $96,736,000. JANA Partners Management LP raised its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 22.3% during the 4th quarter. JANA Partners Management LP now owns 7,131,339 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $476,587,000 after buying an additional 1,302,585 shares during the last quarter. Continental Grain Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter worth about $63,786,000. Finally, Boston Partners boosted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 26.8% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,477,165 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $232,330,000 after buying an additional 735,901 shares in the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

Shares of LW opened at $51.35 on Friday. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $47.90 and a 52 week high of $89.51. 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 company has a market capitalization of $7.25 billion, a PE ratio of 20.30, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $53.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $62.77.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.23. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. The business had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.20 EPS. Lamb Weston’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $56.00 price target on Lamb Weston and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lamb Weston from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $57.00 price target on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Lamb Weston from $72.00 to $66.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.64.

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.