Channing Capital Management LLC Purchases 12,646 Shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Channing Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 15.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 96,054 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,646 shares during the period. Channing Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Lamb Weston worth $10,382,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of LW. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 19.0% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 20,766 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,920,000 after purchasing an additional 3,322 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 19.2% in the third quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 30,884 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,856,000 after acquiring an additional 4,966 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 28.3% in the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 104,527 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $9,665,000 after acquiring an additional 23,085 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,188,941 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $109,930,000 after purchasing an additional 25,252 shares during the period. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 170,034 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $15,721,000 after purchasing an additional 12,834 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE LW traded up $0.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $85.08. The stock had a trading volume of 1,686,348 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,429,672. The firm has a market cap of $12.28 billion, a PE ratio of 11.36, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 1.19. The company has a 50 day moving average of $93.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $98.47. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $77.41 and a twelve month high of $117.38.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 4th. The specialty retailer reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.40 by ($0.20). Lamb Weston had a net margin of 16.71% and a return on equity of 50.74%. The firm had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.43 EPS. Lamb Weston’s quarterly revenue was up 16.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 5.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 2nd. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Lamb Weston from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 5th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Monday, March 11th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $128.00 target price on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $125.00 to $105.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Lamb Weston from $128.00 to $98.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on Lamb Weston from $138.00 to $113.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Lamb Weston presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $117.40.

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.