UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Buys 6,375 Shares of Lancaster Colony Co. (NASDAQ:LANC)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Lancaster Colony Co. (NASDAQ:LANC - Free Report) by 18.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,516 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,375 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned about 0.15% of Lancaster Colony worth $7,188,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC raised its position in Lancaster Colony by 125.5% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 44,189 shares of the company's stock worth $7,803,000 after acquiring an additional 24,589 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Lancaster Colony by 62.1% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 932 shares of the company's stock worth $165,000 after buying an additional 357 shares during the period. KBC Group NV grew its stake in Lancaster Colony by 80.4% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 893 shares of the company's stock worth $155,000 after buying an additional 398 shares during the period. Independence Bank of Kentucky purchased a new stake in Lancaster Colony during the fourth quarter worth approximately $630,000. Finally, Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its stake in shares of Lancaster Colony by 20.5% in the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 305,264 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,853,000 after purchasing an additional 52,030 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.44% of the company's stock.

Lancaster Colony Trading Up 0.0%

NASDAQ:LANC traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $167.09. 137,678 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 149,187. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.37 and a beta of 0.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $173.78 and a 200 day moving average of $178.74. Lancaster Colony Co. has a twelve month low of $156.14 and a twelve month high of $202.63.

Lancaster Colony (NASDAQ:LANC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $457.84 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $483.47 million. Lancaster Colony had a return on equity of 19.51% and a net margin of 8.26%. The firm's revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.44 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Lancaster Colony Co. will post 6.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lancaster Colony Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. Lancaster Colony's payout ratio is 61.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on LANC. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Lancaster Colony from $192.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Lancaster Colony from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Benchmark upgraded shares of Lancaster Colony from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Stephens reduced their price objective on shares of Lancaster Colony from $200.00 to $195.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Lancaster Colony currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $203.50.

Lancaster Colony Profile

Lancaster Colony Corporation engages in the manufacturing and marketing of specialty food products for the retail and foodservice channels in the United States. It operates in two segments, Retail and Foodservice. The company offers frozen garlic bread under the New York BRAND Bakery; frozen Parkerhouse style yeast and dinner rolls under the Sister Schubert's brand; salad dressings under the Marzetti, Simply Dressed, Cardini's, and Girard's brands; vegetable and fruit dips under the Marzetti brand; croutons and salad toppings under the New York BRAND Bakery, Chatham Village, and Marzetti brands; and frozen pasta under the Marzetti Frozen Pasta brand.