Lamb Weston, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Lamb Weston, Inc. 401(k) Plan for Salaried and Hourly Employees
Eagle, IDManufacturing2,070 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$9,616Employer $ per active participant
$9,679Employee $ saved per active participant
0.09%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$444.2MNet plan assets, end of year
$180,722Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity47.9 / 5096th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost19.2 / 2577th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving13.3 / 1589th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score87 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 96th |
| Lower admin cost | 77th |
| Employee saving | 89th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $46,857 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Lamb Weston put in about $9,616 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($2,320). Contribute at least enough to collect the full match. Skipping it leaves part of your pay on the table.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Fund expense ratios aren't in the filing. Look them up in your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure and favor low-cost index or target-date funds.
- The plan auto-enrolls employees. Check your default contribution rate. Defaults are often lower than what it takes to get the full match.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $19,909,111 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $20,040,779 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $4,810,200 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $371,438 |
| Contract administrator fees | $1,500 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $210,400 |
| Benefits paid out | $58,485,655 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $397.0M / $444.2M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 2,174 / 1,967 |
| Participants with account balances | 2,458 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | Eide Bailly LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | $164,971 reported compensation |
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $136,199 reported compensation |
| Mercer Investments LLC | $45,429 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20250908154636NAL0019603729001, received 2025-09-08, EIN 20-8865395, plan #003, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.