Lancaster Colony Co. (NASDAQ:LANC) Shares Purchased by Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc.

Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Lancaster Colony Co. (NASDAQ:LANC - Free Report) by 16.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 24,593 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,470 shares during the quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.09% of Lancaster Colony worth $4,258,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LANC. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its holdings in Lancaster Colony by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 5,604 shares of the company's stock valued at $970,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lancaster Colony by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,280 shares of the company's stock worth $222,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Lancaster Colony by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 15,978 shares of the company's stock worth $2,766,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its stake in shares of Lancaster Colony by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 11,687 shares of the company's stock worth $2,023,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of Lancaster Colony by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 5,400 shares of the company's stock worth $935,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 66.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lancaster Colony Price Performance

LANC traded down $2.21 on Thursday, reaching $160.57. 181,555 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 141,671. Lancaster Colony Co. has a twelve month low of $156.14 and a twelve month high of $202.63. The stock has a market cap of $4.43 billion, a PE ratio of 28.26 and a beta of 0.38. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $183.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $181.94.

Lancaster Colony (NASDAQ:LANC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.61 by ($0.12). Lancaster Colony had a net margin of 8.26% and a return on equity of 19.51%. The business had revenue of $457.84 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $483.47 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.44 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Lancaster Colony Co. will post 6.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lancaster Colony Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.37%. Lancaster Colony's dividend payout ratio is presently 66.78%.

Insider Activity at Lancaster Colony

In other news, CEO David Alan Ciesinski sold 17,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.19, for a total value of $3,250,230.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 54,644 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,447,386.36. This represents a 23.73 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 29.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LANC shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Lancaster Colony from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Lancaster Colony from $192.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Stephens decreased their price target on shares of Lancaster Colony from $200.00 to $195.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Benchmark upgraded Lancaster Colony from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $185.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.