Inspire Advisors LLC Acquires 1,842 Shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Inspire Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 25.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 9,191 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,842 shares during the quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $614,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. West Oak Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 155.7% during the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Kennebec Savings Bank bought a new position in Lamb Weston in the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Lamb Weston in the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

Shares of LW opened at $51.52 on Wednesday. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $49.28 and a 12 month high of $107.50. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $58.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $66.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The firm has a market cap of $7.35 billion, a PE ratio of 20.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.76.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by ($0.35). The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.82% and a net margin of 5.80%. The business’s revenue was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.45 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.87%. This is a positive change from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lamb Weston

In other news, Director Charles A. Blixt acquired 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $63.25 per share, for a total transaction of $75,900.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,453,611.50. This represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert A. Niblock acquired 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $60.94 per share, for a total transaction of $182,820.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 26,406 shares in the company, valued at $1,609,181.64. The trade was a 12.82 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on LW. StockNews.com raised Lamb Weston to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Citigroup cut Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Barclays dropped their target price on Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Lamb Weston in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $76.73.

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.