Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $47.8182.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays lowered their price objective on Lamb Weston from $55.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Zacks Research raised Lamb Weston from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Lamb Weston from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Lamb Weston from $54.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Lamb Weston from $46.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 30th.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

Shares of Lamb Weston stock opened at $45.04 on Wednesday. Lamb Weston has a one year low of $37.62 and a one year high of $67.07. The company has a market cap of $6.22 billion, a PE ratio of 21.04, a P/E/G ratio of 6.05 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. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $43.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $45.49.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 1st. The specialty retailer reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.11. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 23.77% and a net margin of 4.61%.The business had revenue of $1.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.49 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.10 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Lamb Weston will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th were issued a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio is 71.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Lamb Weston news, Director Jana Partners Management, Lp purchased 136,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $40.89 per share, with a total value of $5,561,040.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 5,148,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $210,541,792.20. This trade represents a 2.71% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Peter J. Bensen purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $39.45 per share, with a total value of $197,250.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 17,204 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $678,697.80. This represents a 40.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders purchased 391,000 shares of company stock valued at $16,270,790 over the last ninety days. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lamb Weston

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Arnhold LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 710.2% in the fourth quarter. Arnhold LLC now owns 38,217 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,601,000 after acquiring an additional 33,500 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 46.3% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,150,000 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $124,872,000 after acquiring an additional 680,000 shares during the period. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 44.8% in the fourth 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. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 8.7% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 535,602 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,108,000 after acquiring an additional 42,709 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 2,682.3% in the fourth 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. 89.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lamb Weston Company Profile

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.