Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Has $19.36 Million Holdings in Lamb Weston $LW

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management dramatically increased its Lamb Weston stake by 8,572.1% in the fourth quarter, ending with 462,048 shares worth about $19.36 million.
• Insider buying was significant, including purchases by Director Peter J. Bensen and Jana Partners Management; insiders bought 391,000 shares in the last quarter worth about $16.27 million.
• Lamb Weston reported better-than-expected quarterly results with EPS of $0.72 versus $0.61 expected and revenue of $1.56 billion, while also declaring a $0.38 quarterly dividend yielding 3.6% annually.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 8,572.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 462,048 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 456,720 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned approximately 0.33% of Lamb Weston worth $19,355,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AlphaQuest LLC increased its position in Lamb Weston by 115.5% during the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 446 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Stance Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Tema Etfs LLC acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.56% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Peter J. Bensen bought 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $39.45 per share, for a total transaction of $197,250.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 17,204 shares in the company, valued at approximately $678,697.80. This trade represents a 40.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jana Partners Management, Lp bought 136,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $40.89 per share, for a total transaction of $5,561,040.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 5,148,980 shares in the company, valued at $210,541,792.20. This represents a 2.71% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders purchased 391,000 shares of company stock worth $16,270,790. 0.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

Lamb Weston stock opened at $42.15 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.70, a PEG ratio of 6.31 and a beta of 0.47. Lamb Weston has a 52-week low of $37.62 and a 52-week high of $67.07. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $42.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.75. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 1st. The specialty retailer reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.49 billion. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 23.77% and a net margin of 4.61%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Lamb Weston will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Weiss Ratings cut Lamb Weston from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price target on Lamb Weston from $48.00 to $41.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Lamb Weston from $55.00 to $46.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lamb Weston presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $48.00.

About Lamb Weston

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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