Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the fourteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have issued a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $47.8182.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Lamb Weston from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Lamb Weston from $55.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Zacks Research upgraded Lamb Weston from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Stephens started coverage on Lamb Weston in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $46.00 target price for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $46.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 30th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jana Partners Management, Lp purchased 136,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $40.89 per share, with a total value of $5,561,040.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 5,148,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $210,541,792.20. The trade was a 2.71% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Peter J. Bensen purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $39.45 per share, with a total value of $197,250.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 17,204 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $678,697.80. This trade represents a 40.97% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have bought 391,000 shares of company stock worth $16,270,790. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lamb Weston

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LW. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 29.4% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 185,038 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $9,862,000 after buying an additional 42,039 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 16,355 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $872,000 after acquiring an additional 549 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 19.4% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,490 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $181,000 after acquiring an additional 567 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 405.9% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 256,794 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $13,548,000 after acquiring an additional 206,034 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 70.7% during the 2nd quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 18,116 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $939,000 after purchasing an additional 7,503 shares during the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE LW opened at $45.10 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. Lamb Weston has a 52 week low of $37.62 and a 52 week high of $67.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.07, a PEG ratio of 6.00 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a fifty day moving average of $43.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.18.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 1st. The specialty retailer reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.11. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 4.61% and a return on equity of 23.77%. The business had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.49 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm 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, analysts predict that Lamb Weston will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

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