State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Reduces Stock Holdings in Lamb Weston $LW

Key Points

• The State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D has reduced its stake in Lamb Weston by 10.8%, now owning 47,430 shares worth approximately $2.53 million.
• Several hedge funds increased their positions in Lamb Weston, with American Century Companies raising its stake by 155.7%, now owning 131,165 shares valued at $6.99 million.
• Lamb Weston announced a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share, with a payout ratio of 58.96% and a dividend yield of 2.7%.

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D cut its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 10.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 47,430 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 5,771 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D's holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $2,528,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LW. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in Lamb Weston during the first quarter valued at about $28,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in Lamb Weston during the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Lamb Weston by 3,466.7% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 535 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 520 shares during the period. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, CX Institutional bought a new stake in Lamb Weston during the first quarter valued at about $48,000. 89.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Lamb Weston from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Bank of America cut 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded Lamb Weston from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Barclays lifted their price target on Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Lamb Weston in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $57.00 price target for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $65.30.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of Lamb Weston stock traded down $1.0270 on Monday, hitting $55.9630. 975,391 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,332,848. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $53.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.61. 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 has a 52 week low of $47.87 and a 52 week high of $83.98. The company has a market cap of $7.80 billion, a PE ratio of 22.30, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.49.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 period in the previous year, the company posted $0.78 EPS. Lamb Weston has set its FY 2026 guidance at EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.6%. Lamb Weston's payout ratio is 58.96%.

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.