Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Shares Purchased by California Public Employees Retirement System

California Public Employees Retirement System grew its position in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 657,296 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,498 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $71,047,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 113.4% in the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 303 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 24.4% in the third quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 582 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 17.6% during the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,084 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $100,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 300.6% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,294 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $120,000 after acquiring an additional 971 shares during the period. Finally, Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 537.1% in the fourth quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,134 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $123,000 after acquiring an additional 956 shares in the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas started coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Monday, March 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $128.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $138.00 to $113.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $125.00 to $105.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Lamb Weston from $128.00 to $98.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Lamb Weston from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $117.40.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

NYSE LW opened at $84.52 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $96.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $98.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.52. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $77.41 and a 1 year high of $117.38. The company has a market capitalization of $12.20 billion, a PE ratio of 11.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.72.

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). The firm had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.65 billion. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 16.71% and a return on equity of 50.74%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.43 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be given a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.70%. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.23%.

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.