Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Stock Holdings Raised by Vanguard Group Inc.

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Lamb Weston by 2.6%, owning approximately 12.10% of the company, valued at $909.99 million after purchasing an additional 426,045 shares.
• Lamb Weston reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, exceeding expectations by $0.23, and had a revenue of $1.68 billion, up 4.0% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share, with an annual yield of 2.9%, to be paid on August 29.

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 2.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,072,932 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 426,045 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 12.10% of Lamb Weston worth $909,987,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of LW. Romano Brothers AND Company lifted its stake 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 worth $813,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased 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 purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Norinchukin Bank The grew its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 5,873 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $392,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 4.0% in the first quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,984 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $319,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Snowden Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,393 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LW shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $56.00 target price on shares of Lamb Weston and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock 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 report on Thursday, May 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $67.40.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of LW traded down $0.66 on Friday, hitting $54.17. 1,093,980 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,604,738. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $7.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.49. The stock's 50 day moving average is $53.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $53.87. Lamb Weston has a 1 year low of $47.87 and a 1 year high of $83.98.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.23. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.54% and a return on equity of 27.99%. The company had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.78 earnings per share. Lamb Weston's revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 1st. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.