Raymond James Financial Inc. Buys 71,618 Shares of Lamb Weston $LW

Key Points

• Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its stake in Lamb Weston by 24.2%, acquiring an additional 71,618 shares during the first quarter, bringing their total ownership to 367,923 shares valued at approximately $19.61 million.
• Research analysts have mixed opinions on Lamb Weston; while Wells Fargo raised their price target from $65.00 to $66.00 with an "overweight" rating, Bank of America reduced their price objective from $60.00 to $56.00 with a "neutral" rating.
• Lamb Weston announced a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share, which will be paid on August 29th, indicating a 2.6% dividend yield for shareholders.

Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 24.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 367,923 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 71,618 shares during the quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned 0.26% of Lamb Weston worth $19,610,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Romano Brothers AND Company grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smith Thornton Advisors LLC grew its holdings in 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 buying an additional 275 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 stock traded up $1.29 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $57.54. The stock had a trading volume of 1,115,350 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,392,284. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $53.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $53.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12. 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 $8.02 billion, a PE ratio of 22.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.49.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.99% and a net margin of 5.54%.Lamb Weston's revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.78 EPS. Lamb Weston has set its FY 2026 guidance at EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 1st were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 1st. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on LW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $57.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised Lamb Weston from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Bank of America reduced their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Lamb Weston from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company 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.