Edgestream Partners L.P. Purchases Shares of 72,178 Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW)

Edgestream Partners L.P. bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 72,178 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $3,847,000. Edgestream Partners L.P. owned 0.05% of Lamb Weston at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,646,887 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,112,511,000 after buying an additional 58,066 shares during the period. JANA Partners Management LP lifted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 22.3% during the fourth quarter. JANA Partners Management LP now owns 7,131,339 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $476,587,000 after purchasing an additional 1,302,585 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors bought a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $423,270,000. Boston Partners lifted its stake 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,436,604 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $229,065,000 after buying an additional 48,548 shares during the period. 89.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

Lamb Weston stock traded up $0.47 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $50.47. 1,393,483 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,649,811. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 1.35. Lamb Weston has a one year low of $47.90 and a one year high of $83.98. The stock has a market cap of $7.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.46. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $53.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.04.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 1st will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 1st. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.93%. Lamb Weston's payout ratio is 58.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LW has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lamb Weston from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $57.00 price objective on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Lamb Weston from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $67.64.

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.