Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. Grows Position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 537.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,134 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 956 shares during the quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $123,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 28.3% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 104,527 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $9,665,000 after buying an additional 23,085 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 84.6% during the 4th quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 37,844 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,091,000 after buying an additional 17,344 shares during the period. Lmcg Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC now owns 13,946 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,289,000 after buying an additional 304 shares during the period. Wakefield Asset Management LLLP acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,302,000. Finally, Ingalls & Snyder LLC acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $210,000. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

Shares of LW opened at $81.00 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $11.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.81, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.72. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $97.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $98.85. 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 12 month low of $77.41 and a 12 month high of $117.38.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 4th. The specialty retailer reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by ($0.20). Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 50.74% and a net margin of 16.71%. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.43 earnings per share. Lamb Weston’s quarterly revenue was up 16.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 5.53 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on LW shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Lamb Weston from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 5th. BNP Paribas began coverage on Lamb Weston in a research report on Monday, March 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $128.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com lowered Lamb Weston from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Lamb Weston from $128.00 to $98.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on Lamb Weston from $138.00 to $113.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $117.40.

About Lamb Weston

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.