First National Trust Co Increases Stake in Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW)

First National Trust Co lifted its position in Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) by 4.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,560 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,514 shares during the quarter. First National Trust Co’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $1,789,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LW. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the first quarter worth $28,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in Lamb Weston in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 3,466.7% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 535 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 520 shares in the last quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, CX Institutional bought a new position in Lamb Weston in the 1st quarter worth about $48,000. 89.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Lamb Weston from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lamb Weston from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lamb Weston presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $67.40.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

Shares of LW opened at $58.72 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $53.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $54.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12. Lamb Weston has a twelve month low of $47.87 and a twelve month high of $83.98. The company has a market cap of $8.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.46.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.23. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.99% and a net margin of 5.54%. The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.78 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 1st. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.52%. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.96%.

Lamb Weston Profile

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.