Principal Financial Group Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Lamb Weston $LW

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) by 349.1% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 690,493 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 536,745 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $29,180,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 29.4% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 185,038 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $9,862,000 after buying an additional 42,039 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in Lamb Weston by 3.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 16,355 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $872,000 after acquiring an additional 549 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Lamb Weston by 19.4% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,490 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $181,000 after acquiring an additional 567 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its position in Lamb Weston by 405.9% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 256,794 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $13,548,000 after acquiring an additional 206,034 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 70.7% in the second quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 18,116 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $939,000 after acquiring an additional 7,503 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Stock Down 0.1%

LW opened at $46.74 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 1.46. The company has a market cap of $6.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.84, a PEG ratio of 6.21 and a beta of 0.47. Lamb Weston has a one year low of $37.62 and a one year high of $67.07. The business’s fifty day moving average is $44.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $44.06.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on LW. Stephens began coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $46.00 target price on the stock. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $55.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $46.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $46.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $48.91.

Lamb Weston Profile

Lamb Weston, traded on the NYSE under the symbol LW, is a leading global processor and supplier of frozen potato products. The company’s portfolio includes a variety of potato-based items such as French fries, potato wedges, hash browns and specialty cuts tailored to the foodservice and retail grocery channels. Lamb Weston serves quick-service restaurants, full-service operators, grocery chains and food distributors, offering customized product formats, packaging solutions and seasoning options to meet evolving customer demands.

Founded in 1950 and headquartered in Eagle, Idaho, Lamb Weston has grown from a regional processor into one of the world’s largest producers of frozen potato products.