Lamb Weston $LW Holdings Boosted by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) by 78.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,114 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,511 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $1,354,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the second quarter valued at $25,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its position in Lamb Weston by 64.2% during the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 537 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its stake in Lamb Weston by 407.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 594 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 477 shares in the last quarter. City State Bank grew its stake in Lamb Weston by 86.8% during the 2nd quarter. City State Bank now owns 779 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 362 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 519.9% in the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 843 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Stock Down 0.0%

Lamb Weston stock opened at $59.73 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. Lamb Weston has a 1-year low of $47.87 and a 1-year high of $83.98. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $61.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $56.81. The company has a market capitalization of $8.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.58, a P/E/G ratio of 3.96 and a beta of 0.44.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 24th. The specialty retailer reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 4.56% and a return on equity of 28.08%. The firm had revenue of $1.15 billion for the quarter. Sell-side analysts forecast that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 28th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st were issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is 70.81%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LW has been the subject of several research reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $66.00 price target on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $57.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $59.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $65.00 price target on shares of Lamb Weston and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Cfra Research raised Lamb Weston to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Lamb Weston presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.70.

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.