Lazard Asset Management LLC Acquires 8,810 Shares of Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:CALM)

Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:CALM - Free Report) by 9.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 106,721 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,810 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.22% of Cal-Maine Foods worth $10,983,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CALM. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Cal-Maine Foods by 339.1% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,032 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 797 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new position in Cal-Maine Foods during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $134,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Cal-Maine Foods by 350.5% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,437 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $148,000 after buying an additional 1,118 shares during the period. KBC Group NV lifted its position in Cal-Maine Foods by 59.8% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,681 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $173,000 after buying an additional 629 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Colonial River Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cal-Maine Foods during the 4th quarter valued at $203,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.67% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Cal-Maine Foods

In related news, insider Adolphus B. Baker sold 140,266 shares of Cal-Maine Foods stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.60, for a total value of $12,708,099.60. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,319,034 shares in the company, valued at $119,504,480.40. This trade represents a 9.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 13.45% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Cal-Maine Foods Stock Performance

Shares of CALM traded down $0.48 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $96.70. 161,563 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 749,394. The company has a market cap of $4.74 billion, a PE ratio of 7.52 and a beta of 0.18. The firm's 50 day moving average is $92.71 and its 200-day moving average is $97.44. Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. has a 52 week low of $57.43 and a 52 week high of $116.41.

Cal-Maine Foods (NASDAQ:CALM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 8th. The basic materials company reported $10.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.79 by $4.59. Cal-Maine Foods had a return on equity of 33.69% and a net margin of 20.39%. The firm had revenue of $1.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $953.76 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.00 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 101.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. will post 15.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised Cal-Maine Foods to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. StockNews.com raised Cal-Maine Foods from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 10th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $97.00 price objective on shares of Cal-Maine Foods in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd.

Cal-Maine Foods Company Profile

Cal-Maine Foods, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, produces, grades, packages, markets, and distributes shell eggs. The company offers specialty shell eggs, such as nutritionally enhanced, cage free, organic, free-range, pasture-raised, and brown eggs under the Egg-Land's Best, Land O' Lakes, Farmhouse Eggs, Sunups, Sunny Meadow, and 4Grain brand names.