Crestline Management LP Makes New $9.55 Million Investment in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Crestline Management LP purchased a new position in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 142,882 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $9,549,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,646,887 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,112,511,000 after purchasing an additional 58,066 shares during the last quarter. JANA Partners Management LP raised its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 22.3% during the 4th quarter. JANA Partners Management LP now owns 7,131,339 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $476,587,000 after buying an additional 1,302,585 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors acquired a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter valued at about $423,270,000. Boston Partners boosted its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,477,165 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $232,330,000 after buying an additional 735,901 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Lamb Weston by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,436,604 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $229,065,000 after acquiring an additional 48,548 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

LW opened at $51.27 on Tuesday. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $47.90 and a twelve month high of $89.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.24 billion, a PE ratio of 20.26, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $53.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $63.12.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $1.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.20 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd will be issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Lamb Weston from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $57.00 target price on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $56.00 price target on Lamb Weston and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lamb Weston currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $70.64.

Lamb Weston Company 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.