Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. Increases Stake in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)

Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its stake in Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) by 323.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 55,940 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 42,740 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Lamb Weston were worth $3,738,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in Lamb Weston by 19.2% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 201,249 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $13,449,000 after buying an additional 32,400 shares during the period. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC purchased a new position in Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter valued at about $224,000. First National Trust Co boosted its stake in Lamb Weston by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. First National Trust Co now owns 32,046 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,142,000 after acquiring an additional 1,350 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter worth about $615,000. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 18,944 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,266,000 after purchasing an additional 1,735 shares in the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on LW. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Lamb Weston to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $76.73.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of LW stock opened at $52.69 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.76. 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 is $56.66 and its 200 day moving average is $66.29. Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $47.90 and a 12-month high of $107.50.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by ($0.35). The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. The firm’s revenue was down 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.45 EPS. Research analysts expect that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lamb Weston

In other Lamb Weston news, Director Robert A. Niblock purchased 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $60.94 per share, for a total transaction of $182,820.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 26,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,609,181.64. The trade was a 12.82 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt acquired 1,200 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $63.25 per share, with a total value of $75,900.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at $1,453,611.50. This represents a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

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.