Credit Agricole S A Sells 18,375 Shares of Lamb Weston $LW

Key Points

• Credit Agricole S A has reduced its stake in Lamb Weston by 34.1%, selling 18,375 shares, resulting in a total of 35,582 shares valued at approximately $1.89 million.
• Multiple institutional investors have increased their stakes in Lamb Weston recently, with notable increases from JANA Partners (22.3%) and Citigroup (324.4%).
• Lamb Weston reported a net margin of 5.54% and earnings per share (EPS) of $0.87 for its last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations of $0.64, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share.

Credit Agricole S A cut its stake in Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 34.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 35,582 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 18,375 shares during the quarter. Credit Agricole S A's holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $1,897,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of LW. Romano Brothers AND Company grew its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Romano Brothers AND Company now owns 15,260 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $813,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 10,971 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $585,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the period. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,984 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $319,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the period. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,393 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the period. Finally, Smith Thornton Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. Smith Thornton Advisors LLC now owns 4,300 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the period. 89.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

LW traded down $0.39 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $56.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,142,860 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,312,694. Lamb Weston has a 52 week low of $47.87 and a 52 week high of $83.98. The company's 50-day moving average is $53.71 and its 200-day moving average is $53.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market cap of $7.84 billion, a PE ratio of 22.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.49.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.23. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.99% and a net margin of 5.54%.The business had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.78 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Lamb Weston has set its FY 2026 guidance at EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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