Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Price Target Cut to $45.00 by Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) had its price objective reduced by Stifel Nicolaus from $50.00 to $45.00 in a report issued on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a hold rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Friday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $46.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $48.00.

Lamb Weston Trading Up 2.4%

Shares of NYSE LW opened at $39.40 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $45.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $51.88. Lamb Weston has a 52-week low of $37.62 and a 52-week high of $67.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.41, a PEG ratio of 5.56 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 1st. The specialty retailer reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.11. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 23.77% and a net margin of 4.61%.The company had revenue of $1.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.49 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Lamb Weston

In other news, insider Jan Eli B. Craps purchased 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $48.65 per share, for a total transaction of $2,432,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 300,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,595,000. The trade was a 20.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Lamb Weston by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,679,203 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $698,692,000 after purchasing an additional 43,766 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 27.4% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 9,824,690 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $411,558,000 after buying an additional 2,111,874 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 1.1% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,801,585 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $300,812,000 after buying an additional 63,865 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,528,402 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $147,536,000 after buying an additional 21,256 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Lamb Weston by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,286,305 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $190,869,000 after acquiring an additional 79,257 shares during the period. 89.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Lamb Weston

Here are the key news stories impacting Lamb Weston this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 beat and guidance actions — Lamb Weston beat consensus revenue and adjusted EPS in Q3 and raised the midpoint of its net sales and EBITDA outlook while reducing expected 2026 capital expenditures, signaling management is shifting toward cash generation. BusinessWire: Q3 Results & Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Cost-savings and cash focus — management’s “Focus to Win” program (targeting at least $250M in savings) plus a reduced capex plan and meaningful YTD free cash flow support near-term cash generation and a pivot from growth to margin/cash focus. MarketBeat: Frozen Out
• Positive Sentiment: Potential margin tailwind from lower input costs — management flagged expected declines in contracted potato costs (NA low-to-mid single digits; Europe mid-teens), which could help margins in fiscal 2027 if volumes hold. MarketBeat: Input Cost Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst revisions are mixed — several firms trimmed price targets after the print (BNP Paribas Exane, Barclays, Stifel, Wells Fargo, BofA, Deutsche Bank), but many maintain neutral/overweight ratings and a consensus price target materially above current levels, producing divergent near-term guidance for investors. Benzinga: Analysts Cut Forecasts
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure and international softness — despite sales growth, operating margins and net income fell year-over-year (EPS down materially from prior-year levels), driven by weaker restaurant demand in some international markets, lower factory utilization and pricing pressure; these dynamics are keeping the stock under pressure despite the beat. MarketBeat: Margin Pressure

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.