Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. Buys 40,810 Shares of Lamb Weston $LW

Key Points

• Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. raised its stake in Lamb Weston by 5.5%, buying 40,810 shares to hold 785,650 shares (~0.57% of the company) worth about $32.9 million.
• Heavy insider and institutional activity: Jana Partners bought large blocks (136,000 and 100,000 shares), insiders purchased 291,000 shares in the last 90 days, and institutions now own 89.56% of LW.
• Mixed fundamentals and sentiment: Lamb Weston beat the quarter with $0.72 EPS and $1.56B revenue and announced a $0.38 quarterly dividend (3.6% yield), but analysts have trimmed targets and the consensus rating is a Hold (average target ~$48).

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. boosted its holdings in Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 5.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 785,650 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 40,810 shares during the quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. owned 0.57% of Lamb Weston worth $32,911,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in Lamb Weston by 29.4% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 185,038 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $9,862,000 after buying an additional 42,039 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 3.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 16,355 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $872,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 19.4% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,490 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $181,000 after buying an additional 567 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 405.9% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 256,794 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $13,548,000 after buying an additional 206,034 shares during the period. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 70.7% in the second quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 18,116 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $939,000 after buying an additional 7,503 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.56% of the company's stock.

More Lamb Weston News

Here are the key news stories impacting Lamb Weston this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Large insider/activist buys — Jana Partners increased its stake with purchases in early April (136,000 and 100,000 shares; ~\$40.89–\$41.41). Big insider accumulation by an activist can lift sentiment, increase chance of strategic changes, and support the stock. Read More. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: New CFO inducement award — Lamb Weston granted 37,923 restricted stock units to incoming CFO James D. Gray as an inducement to join (standard for external hires). This is primarily a governance/compensation item and not an immediate operational catalyst. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: FY‑2026 revenue guide roughly in line — management updated revenue guidance to about \$6.5B–\$6.6B (near consensus); EPS guidance in the bulletin was unclear/missing, so market reaction is muted until full guidance is clarified. (Company update)
• Neutral Sentiment: Light trading volume — intraday volume is below the stock’s average, so today’s move may need higher volume to confirm a sustained trend. (Market data)
• Negative Sentiment: Price-target cut — at least one published note reduced LW’s target (reported ~11.4% cut to \$49.28), which can cap upside and influence sentiment among institutional holders. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades/trimmed targets and consensus "Hold" — several firms have trimmed targets recently and the street consensus is cautious, limiting near-term upward momentum. Read More.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

NYSE:LW opened at $42.19 on Monday. Lamb Weston has a 52 week low of $37.62 and a 52 week high of $67.07. The firm has a market cap of $5.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.72, a P/E/G ratio of 6.12 and a beta of 0.49. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $44.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $51.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 1.46.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 1st. The specialty retailer reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.11. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 4.61% and a return on equity of 23.77%. The business had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.49 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.10 earnings per share. Lamb Weston's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 71.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lamb Weston

In related news, Director Jana Partners Management, Lp purchased 136,000 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $40.89 per share, for a total transaction of $5,561,040.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 5,148,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $210,541,792.20. This trade represents a 2.71% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jan Eli B. Craps purchased 50,000 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $48.65 per share, for a total transaction of $2,432,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 300,000 shares in the company, valued at $14,595,000. This represents a 20.00% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have bought a total of 291,000 shares of company stock valued at $12,331,790 in the last ninety days. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on LW shares. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $55.00 to $46.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $54.00 to $46.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $46.00 price target on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $48.00.

Lamb Weston Company Profile

Lamb Weston, traded on the NYSE under the symbol LW, is a leading global processor and supplier of frozen potato products. The company's portfolio includes a variety of potato-based items such as French fries, potato wedges, hash browns and specialty cuts tailored to the foodservice and retail grocery channels. Lamb Weston serves quick-service restaurants, full-service operators, grocery chains and food distributors, offering customized product formats, packaging solutions and seasoning options to meet evolving customer demands.

Founded in 1950 and headquartered in Eagle, Idaho, Lamb Weston has grown from a regional processor into one of the world's largest producers of frozen potato products.

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