Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Acquires 2,090 Shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 25.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 10,172 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 2,090 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $680,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in LW. Capital Research Global Investors bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter valued at $423,270,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter valued at $96,736,000. JANA Partners Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 22.3% during the 4th quarter. JANA Partners Management LP now owns 7,131,339 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $476,587,000 after buying an additional 1,302,585 shares during the period. Continental Grain Co. bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter valued at $63,786,000. Finally, Boston Partners lifted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 26.8% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,477,165 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $232,330,000 after buying an additional 735,901 shares during the period. 89.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE:LW opened at $55.61 on Wednesday. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $47.90 and a one year high of $88.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.49. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $53.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.71.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.23. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.82% and a net margin of 5.80%. The business had revenue of $1.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.20 EPS. Lamb Weston’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.66%. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is presently 58.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on LW. Wall Street Zen raised Lamb Weston from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Barclays lowered their price target on Lamb Weston from $69.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Lamb Weston from $72.00 to $66.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $57.00 price objective on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $56.00 price objective on Lamb Weston and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $69.91.

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.