New York State Common Retirement Fund Buys 6,170 Shares of Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW)

New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its position in Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 3.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 198,401 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 6,170 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned 0.14% of Lamb Weston worth $10,575,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LW. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in Lamb Weston in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in Lamb Weston by 3,466.7% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 535 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares during the last quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. CX Institutional bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the first quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Acuitas Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 239.3% during the first quarter. Acuitas Investments LLC now owns 950 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 670 shares during the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Stock Down 3.1%

Shares of NYSE:LW traded down $1.55 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $48.94. 2,576,999 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,656,688. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $52.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $54.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.25. Lamb Weston has a 12-month low of $47.90 and a 12-month high of $83.98. The stock has a market cap of $6.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.46.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 1st will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 1st. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.02%. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio is presently 58.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays lowered their price objective on Lamb Weston from $69.00 to $61.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Bank of America decreased 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. Wall Street Zen raised Lamb Weston from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $56.00 target price on Lamb Weston and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Lamb Weston from $70.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $67.64.

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.