Gates Capital Management Inc. Sells 944,588 Shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Gates Capital Management Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 41.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,345,531 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 944,588 shares during the quarter. Lamb Weston makes up approximately 1.7% of Gates Capital Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. Gates Capital Management Inc. owned 0.94% of Lamb Weston worth $89,922,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter worth about $63,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 2.4% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 165,953 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $10,744,000 after buying an additional 3,927 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 67.8% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,846 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $123,000 after buying an additional 746 shares during the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. increased its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 4,877 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $326,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. Finally, West Oak Capital LLC raised its holdings in Lamb Weston by 155.7% in the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company's stock.

Lamb Weston Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of LW opened at $50.80 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 52-week low of $47.90 and a 52-week high of $89.51. The company has a market cap of $7.17 billion, a PE ratio of 20.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.46. The business has a fifty day moving average of $53.05 and a 200 day moving average of $62.59.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.23. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.82% and a net margin of 5.80%. The business had revenue of $1.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.20 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio is presently 58.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Lamb Weston from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Lamb Weston from $72.00 to $66.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $57.00 target price on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $56.00 target price on shares of Lamb Weston and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $70.64.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.