Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Director Peter Bensen Buys 5,000 Shares

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Director Peter Bensen acquired 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $39.45 per share, for a total transaction of $197,250.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 17,204 shares in the company, valued at $678,697.80. The trade was a 40.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Lamb Weston Trading Up 1.0%

Lamb Weston stock traded up $0.38 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $40.55. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,566,908 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,285,109. The company has a 50 day moving average of $44.96 and a 200-day moving average of $51.58. The stock has a market cap of $5.60 billion, a PE ratio of 18.95, a P/E/G ratio of 5.68 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.46. Lamb Weston has a one year low of $37.62 and a one year high of $67.07.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 1st. The specialty retailer reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.11. The company 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%.Lamb Weston’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.10 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio is 71.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price objective on Lamb Weston from $48.00 to $41.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Lamb Weston from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Lamb Weston from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Lamb Weston from $46.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $48.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 115.5% during the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 446 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its stake 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 worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Motco purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake 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 worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 571 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

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.