Vontobel Holding Ltd. Sells 954 Shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. lessened its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,682 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 954 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $1,155,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $951,000. Ingalls & Snyder LLC bought a new position in Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $210,000. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in Lamb Weston by 40.7% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 8,403 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $908,000 after acquiring an additional 2,432 shares in the last quarter. Sandy Spring Bank raised its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 74.1% in the fourth quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 9,079 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $981,000 after purchasing an additional 3,864 shares during the period. Finally, Mutual of America Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 84.6% in the fourth quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 37,844 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,091,000 after purchasing an additional 17,344 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of LW stock opened at $81.00 on Friday. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $77.41 and a 1 year high of $117.38. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $97.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $98.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 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.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 4th. The specialty retailer reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by ($0.20). Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 50.74% and a net margin of 16.71%. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.65 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.43 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 16.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 5.53 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on LW shares. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $128.00 to $98.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 5th. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Monday, March 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $128.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $132.00 to $106.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Lamb Weston from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lamb Weston has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $117.40.

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.