Ameriprise Financial Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Lamb Weston $LW

Key Points

• Ameriprise Financial Inc. has increased its stake in Lamb Weston by 12%, acquiring an additional 170,648 shares, bringing its total holdings to approximately 1.6 million shares valued at $85 million.
• Lamb Weston recently reported quarterly earnings of $0.87 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations and showing a 4% increase in revenue year-over-year to $1.68 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share, with a dividend yield of 2.6%, scheduled for payment on August 29th, reflecting a payout ratio of about 59%.

Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 12.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,595,877 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 170,648 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned 1.13% of Lamb Weston worth $85,060,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 23.0% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 723,215 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $38,547,000 after purchasing an additional 135,188 shares in the last quarter. Atlas FRM LLC purchased a new position in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter valued at $20,383,000. Soviero Asset Management LP purchased a new position in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter valued at $3,342,000. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH purchased a new position in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter valued at $823,000. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new position in Lamb Weston in the 1st quarter valued at $1,059,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company's stock.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:LW traded down $0.39 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $56.27. 1,142,860 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,493,061. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $53.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $53.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market cap of $7.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.49. Lamb Weston has a fifty-two week low of $47.87 and a fifty-two week high of $83.98.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.99% and a net margin of 5.54%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.78 EPS. Lamb Weston has set its FY 2026 guidance at EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 1st. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on LW shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Lamb Weston from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Bank of America cut their target price on Lamb Weston from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Barclays raised their target price on Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Wall Street Zen raised Lamb Weston from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Lamb Weston in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $57.00 target price for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.