JANA Partners Management LP Has $476.59 Million Position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

JANA Partners Management LP lifted its stake in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 22.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 7,131,339 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,302,585 shares during the period. Lamb Weston makes up 23.4% of JANA Partners Management LP’s portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. JANA Partners Management LP’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $476,587,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of LW. West Oak Capital LLC boosted 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 buying an additional 274 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Advantage Trust Co purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,000. 89.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:LW opened at $51.87 on Tuesday. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $47.90 and a 12-month high of $89.51. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $53.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $63.84. The company has a market capitalization of $7.32 billion, a PE ratio of 20.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 3rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.23. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.82% and a net margin of 5.80%. The firm had revenue of $1.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.20 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.85%. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on LW shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Lamb Weston from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Lamb Weston from $72.00 to $66.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $56.00 price objective on Lamb Weston and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $57.00 price objective on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Nine equities research 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.