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

Shares of Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the thirteen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $48.00.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Lamb Weston from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced 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 note on Monday, March 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd.

Insider Transactions at Lamb Weston

In other Lamb Weston news, insider Jan Eli B. Craps acquired 50,000 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $48.65 per share, for a total transaction of $2,432,500.00. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 300,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,595,000. This represents a 20.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Peter J. Bensen acquired 5,000 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $39.45 per share, with a total value of $197,250.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 17,204 shares in the company, valued at approximately $678,697.80. The trade was a 40.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in Lamb Weston by 191.5% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 471,886 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $19,922,000 after purchasing an additional 309,995 shares during the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in Lamb Weston by 26.1% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 8,903 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $373,000 after purchasing an additional 1,842 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Lamb Weston by 53.2% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 31,864 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,335,000 after purchasing an additional 11,063 shares during the last quarter. Walser Wealth Management Company A Ltd Liability Co acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter valued at about $221,000. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Lamb Weston by 427.5% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 159,008 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $6,661,000 after purchasing an additional 128,862 shares during the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

LW stock opened at $40.55 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $44.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $51.48. The stock has a market cap of $5.60 billion, a PE ratio of 18.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.68 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. Lamb Weston has a 1 year low of $37.62 and a 1 year high of $67.07.

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

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.38 per share. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is 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.