KBC Group NV Sells 22,144 Shares of Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW)

KBC Group NV trimmed its holdings in Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) by 79.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,636 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 22,144 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $301,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 3,466.7% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 535 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 520 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. CX Institutional bought a new position in Lamb Weston during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, CoreFirst Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter valued at $78,000. 89.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE:LW opened at $53.00 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $7.48 billion, a PE ratio of 20.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $53.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $55.70. Lamb Weston has a 12 month low of $47.90 and a 12 month high of $83.98.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 3rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.23. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.25% and a net margin of 5.74%. The company had revenue of $1.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.20 earnings per share. Lamb Weston’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus set a $56.00 target price on Lamb Weston and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lamb Weston from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $69.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $57.00 price objective on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $67.73.

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.