Should I buy or sell Lancaster Colony stock right now?

4 Wall Street research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Lancaster Colony in the last twelve months. There are currently 3 hold ratings and 1 buy rating for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street research analysts is that investors should "hold" LANC shares. A hold rating indicates that analysts believe investors should maintain any existing positions they have in LANC, but not buy additional shares or sell existing shares. View LANC analyst ratings or view top-rated stocks .

What is Lancaster Colony's stock price target for 2024?

4 brokerages have issued 12 month price targets for Lancaster Colony's shares. Their LANC share price targets range from $166.00 to $226.00. On average, they predict the company's share price to reach $198.75 in the next twelve months. This suggests a possible upside of 5.3% from the stock's current price. View analysts price targets for LANC or view top-rated stocks among Wall Street analysts .

How have LANC shares performed in 2024?

Lancaster Colony's stock was trading at $166.39 at the beginning of 2024. Since then, LANC stock has increased by 13.4% and is now trading at $188.75. View the best growth stocks for 2024 here .

When is Lancaster Colony's next earnings date?

The company is scheduled to release its next quarterly earnings announcement on Thursday, May 2nd 2024. View our LANC earnings forecast .

How were Lancaster Colony's earnings last quarter?

Lancaster Colony Co. (NASDAQ:LANC) announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August, 23rd. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.26. The company earned $454.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $481.13 million. Lancaster Colony had a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 17.37% and a net margin of 6.92%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.35 EPS.

How often does Lancaster Colony pay dividends? What is the dividend yield for Lancaster Colony?

Lancaster Colony declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, November 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 4th will be given a dividend of $0.90 per share on Friday, December 29th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 1st. This is a positive change from the stock's previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. Read our dividend analysis for LANC .

Is Lancaster Colony a good dividend stock?

Lancaster Colony (NASDAQ:LANC) pays an annual dividend of $3.60 per share and currently has a dividend yield of 1.91%. The company has been increasing its dividend for 61 consecutive years, indicating the company has a strong committment to maintain and grow its dividend. The dividend payout ratio is 76.92%. Payout ratios above 75% are not desirable because they may not be sustainable. Based on earnings estimates, LANC will have a dividend payout ratio of 53.02% next year. This indicates that the company will be able to sustain or increase its dividend. Read our dividend analysis for LANC .

What ETFs hold Lancaster Colony's stock?

ETFs with the largest weight of Lancaster Colony (NASDAQ:LANC) stock in their portfolio include Adaptive Core ETF (RULE) , Leatherback Long/Short Alternative Yield ETF (LBAY) , Invesco Food & Beverage ETF (PBJ) , AAM Bahl & Gaynor Small/Mid Cap Income Growth ETF (SMIG) , ProShares S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (REGL) , Victoryshares Dividend Accelerator ETF (VSDA) , iShares MSCI USA Small-Cap Min Vol Factor ETF (SMMV) and First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF (FTXG) .

What is Jay Gerlach Jr.'s approval rating as Lancaster Colony's CEO?

2 employees have rated Lancaster Colony Chief Executive Officer Jay Gerlach Jr. on Glassdoor.com . Jay Gerlach Jr. has an approval rating of 100% among the company's employees. This puts Jay Gerlach Jr. in the top 10% of approval ratings compared to other CEOs of publicly-traded companies.

What other stocks do shareholders of Lancaster Colony own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some companies that other Lancaster Colony investors own include Medtronic (MDT) , Aflac (AFL) , Hormel Foods (HRL) , MSA Safety (MSA) , PepsiCo (PEP) , Sysco (SYY) , Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) , McCormick & Company, Incorporated (MKC) , Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) and Ecolab (ECL) .

Who are Lancaster Colony's major shareholders?

Lancaster Colony's stock is owned by a number of retail and institutional investors. Top institutional shareholders include Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (1.83%), Victory Capital Management Inc. (1.51%), Boston Trust Walden Corp (1.16%), Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. (1.00%), GW&K Investment Management LLC (0.98%) and Bahl & Gaynor Inc. (0.46%). Insiders that own company stock include Alan F Harris , David Alan Ciesinski , David S Nagle, K Pigott Thomas and Kristin Bird. View institutional ownership trends .

How do I buy shares of Lancaster Colony?

Shares of LANC stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services. Compare Top Brokerages Here .

NASDAQ:LANC

Lancaster Colony (LANC) Stock Price, News & Analysis

$188.75

+0.59 (+0.31%)

(As of 02/9/2024 08:56 PM ET)

Compare

Today's Range: $187.16
▼
$189.90
50-Day Range: $161.88
▼
$204.04
52-Week Range: $158.88
▼
$220.65

Volume: 106,600 shs
Average Volume: 156,064 shs
Market Capitalization: $5.19 billion

P/E Ratio: 40.33
Dividend Yield: 1.91%
Price Target: $198.75

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Lancaster Colony MarketRank™ Stock Analysis

Analyst Rating: Hold
2.25 Rating Score
Upside/Downside: 5.3% Upside
$198.75 Price Target
Short Interest: Bearish
5.21% of Float Sold Short
Dividend Strength: Strong
Based on Four Factors
Sustainability: -1.89
Upright™ Environmental Score
News Sentiment: 1.23
Based on 7 Articles This Week
Insider Trading: N/A
Proj. Earnings Growth: 10.59%
From $6.14 to $6.79 Per Share

Overall MarketRank^™

New Rank-Based ScoringMarketRank^™ is calculated by averaging available category scores (with extra weight given to analysis and valuation), then ranking the company's weighted average against that of other companies.

3.78 out of 5 stars

Consumer Staples Sector

56th out of 134 stocks

Canned, Frozen, & Preserved Fruits, Vegetables, & Food Special Industry

4th out of 4 stocks

1.1

Analyst's Opinion

Consensus Rating
Lancaster Colony has received a consensus rating of Hold. The company's average rating score is 2.25, and is based on 1 buy rating, 3 hold ratings, and no sell ratings.
Price Target Upside/Downside
According to analysts' consensus price target of $198.75, Lancaster Colony has a forecasted upside of 5.3% from its current price of $188.75.
Amount of Analyst Coverage
Lancaster Colony has only been the subject of 3 research reports in the past 90 days.

1.0

Short Interest

Percentage of Shares Shorted
5.21% of the float of Lancaster Colony has been sold short.
Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover
Lancaster Colony has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 8.1.
Change versus previous month
Short interest in Lancaster Colony has recently increased by 5.71%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly.

3.3

Dividend Strength

Dividend Yield
Lancaster Colony pays a meaningful dividend of 1.91%, higher than the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.
Dividend Growth
Lancaster Colony has been increasing its dividend for 61 years.
Dividend Coverage
The dividend payout ratio of Lancaster Colony is 76.92%. Payout ratios above 75% are not desirable because they may not be sustainable.
Dividend Sustainability
Based on earnings estimates, Lancaster Colony will have a dividend payout ratio of 53.02% next year. This indicates that Lancaster Colony will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

3.2

Sustainability and ESG

Overall ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Score
Lancaster Colony has received a 32.76% net impact score from Upright. The largest positive contribution comes from its "Nutrition" impact, which is mostly driven by its "Egg noodles", "Prepared vegetable meals", "Unprocessed roe", and "Wheat bread" products. See details.
Environmental Sustainability
The Environmental Impact score for Lancaster Colony is -1.89.

2.9

News and Social Media Coverage

News Sentiment
Lancaster Colony has a news sentiment score of 1.23. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a higher news sentiment than the 0.80 average news sentiment score of Consumer Staples companies.
News Coverage This Week
MarketBeat has tracked 7 news articles for Lancaster Colony this week, compared to 3 articles on an average week.
Search Interest
Only 2 people have searched for LANC on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is a decrease of -50% compared to the previous 30 days.
MarketBeat Follows
Only 2 people have added Lancaster Colony to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. This is a decrease of 0% compared to the previous 30 days.

3.3

Company Ownership

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling
In the past three months, Lancaster Colony insiders have not sold or bought any company stock.
Percentage Held by Insiders
29.60% of the stock of Lancaster Colony is held by insiders. A high percentage of insider ownership can be a sign of company health.
Percentage Held by Institutions
60.49% of the stock of Lancaster Colony is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company.

1.9

Earnings and Valuation

Earnings Growth
Earnings for Lancaster Colony are expected to grow by 10.59% in the coming year, from $6.14 to $6.79 per share.
Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market
The P/E ratio of Lancaster Colony is 40.33, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 117.61.
Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector
The P/E ratio of Lancaster Colony is 40.33, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the Consumer Staples sector average P/E ratio of about 20.29.
Price to Book Value per Share Ratio
Lancaster Colony has a P/B Ratio of 6.02. P/B Ratios above 3 indicate that a company could be overvalued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

See Top Rated MarketRank™ Stocks Here

About Lancaster Colony Stock (NASDAQ:LANC)

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. It also manufactures and sells other products to brand license agreements, including Olive Garden dressings, Buffalo Wild Wings sauces, and Chick-fil-A sauces. The company sells its products through sales personnel, food brokers, and distributors to retailers and restaurants. Lancaster Colony Corporation was incorporated in 1961 and is based in Westerville, Ohio.

LANC Stock Price History

30 days | 90 days | 365 days | Advanced Chart

LANC Stock News Headlines

February 8, 2024 | finance.yahoo.com

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February 5, 2024 | msn.com

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February 12, 2024 | Behind the Markets (Ad)

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February 5, 2024 | americanbankingnews.com

Lancaster Colony (NASDAQ:LANC) Cut to Equal Weight at Stephens

February 2, 2024 | realmoney.thestreet.com

Lancaster Colony just downgraded at Stephens, here's why

February 2, 2024 | finance.yahoo.com

Lancaster Colony Corporation (NASDAQ:LANC) Q2 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

February 2, 2024 | americanbankingnews.com

Lancaster Colony Co. (NASDAQ:LANC) Short Interest Up 5.7% in January

February 2, 2024 | markets.businessinsider.com

Lancaster Colony earnings preview: what to expect

February 12, 2024 | Behind the Markets (Ad)

Buy THIS stock before Taiwan is attacked

February 2, 2024 | markets.businessinsider.com

Hold Rating on Lancaster Colony Corp Amid Mixed Performance and Cautious Growth Outlook

February 2, 2024 | finance.yahoo.com

Q2 2024 Lancaster Colony Corp Earnings Call

February 1, 2024 | dallasnews.com

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