Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Boosts Stake in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC increased its position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 687.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 196,862 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 171,862 shares during the period. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC owned about 0.14% of Lamb Weston worth $13,156,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of LW. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 2.4% in the 3rd 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 during the period. Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 30,919 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,066,000 after buying an additional 1,652 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC bought a new position in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter worth $1,439,000. Courier Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 27.5% in the 4th quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 4,509 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 972 shares during the period. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 143.0% during the 4th quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 3,220 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $215,000 after purchasing an additional 1,895 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.56% of the company's stock.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LW traded up $2.02 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $53.81. 2,213,095 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,657,694. The company's 50-day moving average is $53.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $61.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The company has a market capitalization of $7.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.27, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.46. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $47.90 and a 1 year high of $89.51.

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 net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. The firm had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.20 EPS. The business's revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd will be given a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on LW shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating and set a $57.00 price objective on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $56.00 price objective on shares of Lamb Weston and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $69.00 to $61.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Lamb Weston from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lamb Weston presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $69.91.

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.