Brokerages Set Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) PT at $69.91

Shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $69.91.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on LW shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $57.00 target price on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $69.00 to $61.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 12th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $72.00 to $66.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $56.00 price objective on shares of Lamb Weston and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th.

Lamb Weston Stock Up 0.3%

Lamb Weston stock opened at $55.81 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. Lamb Weston has a 12-month low of $47.90 and a 12-month high of $88.25. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $53.19 and its 200 day moving average is $58.69. The company has a market capitalization of $7.88 billion, a PE ratio of 22.06, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.49.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 3rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.23. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. The firm had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.20 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 2nd. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.04%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamb Weston

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LW. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 3,466.7% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 535 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares in the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Company Profile

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc produces, distributes, and markets frozen potato products worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Global, Foodservice, Retail, and Other. It offers frozen potatoes, commercial ingredients, and appetizers under the Lamb Weston brand, as well as under various customer labels.