Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Reduces Stock Position in Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH reduced its holdings in Lamb Weston by 52.6% in the first quarter, selling 27,173 shares and leaving it with 24,498 shares valued at $1,306,000.
• Lamb Weston reported $1.68 billion in revenue for the latest quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, and posted earnings of $0.87 per share, a notable increase compared to the previous year's $0.78 earnings per share.
• The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share, reflecting an annualized yield of 2.6%, with the ex-dividend date set for August 1st.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH reduced its position in Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 52.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,498 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 27,173 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH's holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $1,306,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,436,000. Guidance Capital Inc. boosted its stake in Lamb Weston by 11.9% in the 1st quarter. Guidance Capital Inc. now owns 17,086 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $880,000 after purchasing an additional 1,820 shares in the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky boosted its stake 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 worth $585,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. South Dakota Investment Council boosted its stake in Lamb Weston by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. South Dakota Investment Council now owns 112,010 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $5,970,000 after purchasing an additional 5,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston in the 1st quarter worth approximately $231,000. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LW has been the subject of several research reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $56.00 price objective on shares of Lamb Weston and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Lamb Weston from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $67.40.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LW traded down $1.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $55.97. 1,668,740 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,934,611. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $53.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $54.35. Lamb Weston has a 1-year low of $47.87 and a 1-year high of $83.98. The firm has a market cap of $7.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.49.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.78 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 1st will be given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 1st. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.