IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd Has $3.09 Million Stock Holdings in Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW)

Key Points

• IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd increased its stake in Lamb Weston by 12.7%, now holding a total of 58,017 shares valued at approximately $3.09 million.
• Institutional investors control 89.56% of Lamb Weston’s stock, indicating strong investor confidence and high ownership concentration.
• Lamb Weston recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share, which translates to an annualized dividend of $1.48 and a yield of 2.6%.

IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 12.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 58,017 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 6,548 shares during the period. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd's holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $3,092,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LW. Capital Research Global Investors purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter worth approximately $423,270,000. JANA Partners Management LP grew its position 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 valued at $476,587,000 after buying an additional 1,302,585 shares during the last quarter. Continental Grain Co. bought a new position in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter worth about $63,786,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,752,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in Lamb Weston by 20.0% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,016,944 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $201,624,000 after purchasing an additional 503,095 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.56% of the company's stock.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

Shares of LW traded down $1.53 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $53.11. The stock had a trading volume of 1,948,374 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,012,873. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $53.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $54.27. Lamb Weston has a one year low of $47.87 and a one year high of $83.98. The firm has a market cap of $7.40 billion, a PE ratio of 21.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.23. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.54% and a return on equity of 27.99%. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.78 earnings per share. Lamb Weston's revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 1st. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Lamb Weston's payout ratio is 58.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $56.00 target price on shares of Lamb Weston and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lamb Weston from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $67.40.

About Lamb Weston

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.