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

Shares of Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the fourteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have assigned a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $47.8182.

LW has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stephens initiated coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $46.00 target price on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Lamb Weston from $46.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Lamb Weston from $54.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a 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. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Lamb Weston from $55.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 2nd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lamb Weston news, Director Jana Partners Management, Lp bought 50,000 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $43.19 per share, with a total value of $2,159,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 5,398,980 shares in the company, valued at $233,181,946.20. This trade represents a 0.93% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Peter J. Bensen bought 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $39.45 per share, for a total transaction of $197,250.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 17,204 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $678,697.80. The trade was a 40.97% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders acquired 391,000 shares of company stock worth $16,270,790. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LW. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 115.5% during the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 446 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 44.2% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 649 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 380.7% during the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 721 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 571 shares in the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 121.1% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 619 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of NYSE:LW opened at $44.88 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.97, a P/E/G ratio of 5.82 and a beta of 0.47. Lamb Weston has a 1 year low of $37.62 and a 1 year high of $67.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $43.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $44.96.

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

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

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

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.