Cerity Partners LLC Purchases 2,432 Shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 40.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,403 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,432 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $908,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sandy Spring Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 74.1% during the 4th quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 9,079 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $981,000 after acquiring an additional 3,864 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 84.6% during 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 in the last quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 30,974 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,348,000 after purchasing an additional 1,570 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,881,000. Finally, Cambiar Investors LLC lifted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Cambiar Investors LLC now owns 106,017 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $11,459,000 after buying an additional 1,920 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Stock Up 1.4 %

NYSE:LW opened at $82.12 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $97.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $98.79. The company has a market cap of $11.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.72. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $77.41 and a 52-week high of $117.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 1.19.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 4th. The specialty retailer reported $1.20 earnings per share (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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.43 EPS. Lamb Weston’s revenue was up 16.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 5.52 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a $0.36 dividend. 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 1.75%. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on LW. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Lamb Weston from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $125.00 to $105.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $132.00 to $106.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Lamb Weston from $128.00 to $98.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Monday, March 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $128.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lamb Weston presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.