Lamb Weston $LW Shares Sold by Aberdeen Group plc

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc reduced its stake in Lamb Weston by 76.8%, selling 32,731 shares and now holding 9,879 shares valued at $527,000.
• Several institutional investors, including Vanguard Group Inc. and Invesco Ltd., have increased their holdings in Lamb Weston, indicating a trend of positive investment interest.
• Lamb Weston reported a quarterly earnings per share of $0.87, exceeding the consensus estimate by $0.23, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.37 to be paid at the end of August.

Aberdeen Group plc lowered its position in shares of Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 76.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,879 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 32,731 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc's holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $527,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,072,932 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $909,987,000 after purchasing an additional 426,045 shares during the period. JANA Partners Management LP grew 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 worth $476,587,000 after purchasing an additional 1,302,585 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 25.7% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,055,902 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $216,180,000 after purchasing an additional 829,207 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 20.0% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,016,944 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $201,624,000 after purchasing an additional 503,095 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,425,510 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $95,267,000 after purchasing an additional 120,279 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company's stock.

Lamb Weston Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of Lamb Weston stock traded up $0.30 on Wednesday, hitting $56.71. 420,547 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,315,875. The stock has a market cap of $7.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.62, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12. The firm's 50-day moving average is $53.64 and its 200 day moving average is $53.61. Lamb Weston has a 52-week low of $47.87 and a 52-week high of $83.98.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.99% and a net margin of 5.54%.The business's revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.78 EPS. Lamb Weston has set its FY 2026 guidance at EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 1st will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 1st. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio is currently 58.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $57.00 price target for the company. Bank of America decreased their price target on Lamb Weston from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Barclays upped their price target on Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Lamb Weston from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Lamb Weston from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $65.30.

Lamb Weston Company 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.