Lamb Weston Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:LW)

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) saw some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders acquired 7,287 call options on the company. This is an increase of 234% compared to the typical daily volume of 2,184 call options.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

NYSE LW opened at $47.19 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.52 billion, a PE ratio of 22.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.19 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 1.46. Lamb Weston has a 52-week low of $37.62 and a 52-week high of $67.07. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $44.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $44.12.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamb Weston

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Arnhold LLC grew its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 710.2% during the 4th quarter. Arnhold LLC now owns 38,217 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,601,000 after acquiring an additional 33,500 shares during the period. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Lamb Weston by 44.8% in the 4th quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 89,991 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,770,000 after acquiring an additional 27,835 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in Lamb Weston by 2,682.3% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 801,708 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $33,584,000 after acquiring an additional 772,893 shares during the period. Texas Yale Capital Corp. purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,264,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter valued at about $5,900,000. Institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on LW shares. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Stephens started coverage on Lamb Weston in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $46.00 target price on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on Lamb Weston from $46.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Lamb Weston from $46.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Lamb Weston from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $49.27.

About Lamb Weston

Lamb Weston, traded on the NYSE under the symbol LW, is a leading global processor and supplier of frozen potato products. The company’s portfolio includes a variety of potato-based items such as French fries, potato wedges, hash browns and specialty cuts tailored to the foodservice and retail grocery channels. Lamb Weston serves quick-service restaurants, full-service operators, grocery chains and food distributors, offering customized product formats, packaging solutions and seasoning options to meet evolving customer demands.

Founded in 1950 and headquartered in Eagle, Idaho, Lamb Weston has grown from a regional processor into one of the world’s largest producers of frozen potato products.