Marshall Wace LLP Invests $3.14 Million in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 47,050 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $3,144,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter worth $96,736,000. Boston Partners increased its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 26.8% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,477,165 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $232,330,000 after purchasing an additional 735,901 shares during the period. Liberty One Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 697.4% in the 4th quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 350,268 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $23,408,000 after buying an additional 306,343 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter worth about $19,802,000. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Lamb Weston by 97.9% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 588,027 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $39,298,000 after buying an additional 290,901 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company's stock.

Lamb Weston Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of Lamb Weston stock traded down $0.02 during trading on Thursday, reaching $52.80. The stock had a trading volume of 306,956 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,647,025. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $47.90 and a 52 week high of $89.51. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $53.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $63.68. The company has a market capitalization of $7.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 3rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.23. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.82% and a net margin of 5.80%. The company had revenue of $1.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.20 EPS. Lamb Weston's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd will be paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.80%. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. StockNews.com lowered Lamb Weston from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and set a $57.00 target price on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $72.00 to $66.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $56.00 target price on shares of Lamb Weston and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lamb Weston has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $70.64.

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.