Baird Financial Group Inc. Sells 117,958 Shares of Lamb Weston $LW

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group Inc. reduced its holdings in Lamb Weston by 18.4% during the first quarter, resulting in ownership of 524,550 shares valued at approximately $28 million.
• Lamb Weston reported a strong quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $0.87, surpassing estimates by $0.23, with a revenue of $1.68 billion, reflecting a 4.0% increase year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $1.48 and a yield of 2.6%.

Baird Financial Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 18.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 524,550 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 117,958 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.37% of Lamb Weston worth $27,959,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Lamb Weston by 49.2% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,500,503 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $239,877,000 after purchasing an additional 1,483,559 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 324.4% in the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 1,126,982 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $60,068,000 after acquiring an additional 861,417 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 25.7% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,055,902 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $216,180,000 after acquiring an additional 829,207 shares during the period. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 21.1% in the first quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,721,559 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $198,359,000 after acquiring an additional 648,855 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 2.6% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,072,932 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $909,987,000 after buying an additional 426,045 shares during the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Lamb Weston Price Performance

Shares of LW stock traded down $0.00 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $56.55. The company had a trading volume of 1,302,584 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,295,008. Lamb Weston has a 52-week low of $47.87 and a 52-week high of $83.98. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $54.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.60. 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 company has a market capitalization of $7.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.49.

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

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

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

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.