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

Shares of Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have given a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $53.00.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on LW shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $46.00 price objective on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Lamb Weston from $62.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Monday, December 29th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Lamb Weston from $66.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Lamb Weston from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

Lamb Weston stock opened at $50.29 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $6.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.09, a PEG ratio of 7.55 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.08. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $54.70. Lamb Weston has a 52 week low of $39.79 and a 52 week high of $67.07.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last announced its earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.01. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 6.06% and a return on equity of 27.71%. The business had revenue of $1.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. Lamb Weston’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be paid a $0.38 dividend. This is a boost from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is presently 54.68%.

Insider Transactions at Lamb Weston

In related news, insider Jan Eli B. Craps acquired 50,000 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $48.65 per share, with a total value of $2,432,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 300,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,595,000. This represents a 20.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LW. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its position in Lamb Weston by 115.5% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 446 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Motco purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Lamb Weston by 380.7% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 721 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 571 shares during the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.