Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 798,159 Shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. reduced its holdings in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Free Report) by 85.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 136,371 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 798,159 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned about 0.09% of Lamb Weston worth $14,740,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in LW. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 113.4% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 303 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Clear Street Markets LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 92.5% during the first quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 283 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 330.1% during the first quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 628 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 482 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

LW stock traded up $0.23 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $106.53. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,407,860 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,543,518. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $103.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $99.89. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $81.25 and a 1 year high of $117.38. The stock has a market cap of $15.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.85, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.72.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 4th. The specialty retailer reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.03. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 63.19% and a net margin of 17.71%. The business had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.70 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.28 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 35.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 5.97 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.35%. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LW has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Tuesday, December 12th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Monday, March 11th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $128.00 price target for the company. Citigroup initiated coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Thursday, February 1st. They set a "buy" rating and a $132.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Lamb Weston from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 5th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Lamb Weston from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, January 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $127.20.

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.