Staley Capital Advisers Inc. Boosts Stake in Lamb Weston $LW

Key Points

• Staley Capital Advisers dramatically increased its Lamb Weston stake in Q1, boosting holdings by 1,573.8% to 418,460 shares worth about $17.7 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with hedge funds and other institutions holding about 89.56% of Lamb Weston’s stock; several other funds also added or initiated positions.
• Analyst sentiment is cautious: multiple firms recently cut price targets, and the stock currently carries a consensus Hold rating with an average target price of $48.55.

Staley Capital Advisers Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 1,573.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 418,460 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 393,460 shares during the period. Lamb Weston comprises about 0.7% of Staley Capital Advisers Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Staley Capital Advisers Inc. owned approximately 0.30% of Lamb Weston worth $17,684,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 44.2% in the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 649 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in Lamb Weston by 380.7% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 721 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 571 shares during the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Lamb Weston by 121.1% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 4,512.0% in the 1st quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 1,153 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,128 shares in the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:LW opened at $46.19 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The business's 50 day moving average is $43.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $43.87. Lamb Weston has a 52 week low of $37.62 and a 52 week high of $67.07. The company has a market cap of $6.38 billion, a PE ratio of 21.58, a P/E/G ratio of 6.20 and a beta of 0.47.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jana Partners Management, Lp purchased 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $43.19 per share, with a total value of $2,159,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 5,398,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $233,181,946.20. The trade was a 0.93% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LW. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Lamb Weston from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $55.00 to $46.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane dropped their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $48.00 to $41.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Lamb Weston presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $48.55.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.