Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Shares Sold by Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. cut its position in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 32.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,095 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,514 shares during the quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $207,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. West Oak Capital LLC increased its holdings in Lamb Weston by 155.7% in the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the third quarter worth about $40,000. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Lamb Weston

In other Lamb Weston news, Director Charles A. Blixt acquired 1,200 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $63.25 per share, with a total value of $75,900.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,453,611.50. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Robert A. Niblock bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $60.94 per share, for a total transaction of $182,820.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 26,406 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,609,181.64. This represents a 12.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Lamb Weston Trading Up 4.8 %

Shares of NYSE LW opened at $50.98 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $57.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.44. The company has a market cap of $7.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.76. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $47.90 and a 12 month high of $107.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by ($0.35). Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. Lamb Weston’s quarterly revenue was down 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were issued a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.90%. This is a positive change from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on LW shares. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup cut shares of Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $90.00 to $68.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 20th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Lamb Weston to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lamb Weston currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $76.73.

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.