Boston Trust Walden Corp Purchases 52,030 Shares of Lancaster Colony Co. (NASDAQ:LANC)

Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its holdings in Lancaster Colony Co. (NASDAQ:LANC) by 20.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 305,264 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 52,030 shares during the quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp owned approximately 1.11% of Lancaster Colony worth $52,853,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of LANC. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lancaster Colony in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Lancaster Colony in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Lancaster Colony by 56.4% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 280 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in Lancaster Colony by 80.4% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 893 shares of the company’s stock worth $155,000 after purchasing an additional 398 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lancaster Colony by 62.1% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 932 shares of the company’s stock worth $165,000 after purchasing an additional 357 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 66.44% of the company’s stock.

Lancaster Colony Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LANC opened at $168.74 on Monday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $178.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $181.01. Lancaster Colony Co. has a fifty-two week low of $163.20 and a fifty-two week high of $215.31. The company has a market capitalization of $4.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.19 and a beta of 0.35.

Lancaster Colony (NASDAQ:LANC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70 by ($0.08). Lancaster Colony had a net margin of 8.49% and a return on equity of 19.01%. The company had revenue of $466.56 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $468.36 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.70 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Lancaster Colony Co. will post 6.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lancaster Colony Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Thursday, December 5th were paid a $0.95 dividend. This is a boost from Lancaster Colony’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $3.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.25%. Lancaster Colony’s payout ratio is presently 65.74%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LANC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Benchmark restated a “hold” rating on shares of Lancaster Colony in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $196.00 target price on shares of Lancaster Colony in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Loop Capital reduced their price target on Lancaster Colony from $232.00 to $227.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st.

About Lancaster Colony

Lancaster Colony Corporation engages in the manufacturing and marketing of specialty food products for the retail and foodservice channels in the United States. It operates in two segments, Retail and Foodservice. The company offers frozen garlic bread under the New York BRAND Bakery; frozen Parkerhouse style yeast and dinner rolls under the Sister Schubert's brand; salad dressings under the Marzetti, Simply Dressed, Cardini's, and Girard's brands; vegetable and fruit dips under the Marzetti brand; croutons and salad toppings under the New York BRAND Bakery, Chatham Village, and Marzetti brands; and frozen pasta under the Marzetti Frozen Pasta brand.