Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $87.70.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on LW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $108.00 to $63.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Barclays cut their price target on Lamb Weston from $96.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. Consumer Edge downgraded Lamb Weston from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Citigroup cut their target price on Lamb Weston from $106.00 to $104.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut shares of Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $115.00 to $60.00 in a report on Thursday, July 25th.

Lamb Weston Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE LW opened at $63.19 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $66.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $81.83. Lamb Weston has a 52-week low of $52.99 and a 52-week high of $111.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.44, a PEG ratio of 6.00 and a beta of 0.75.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The specialty retailer reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.24 by ($0.46). Lamb Weston had a net margin of 11.22% and a return on equity of 44.06%. The firm had revenue of $1.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. On average, analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston will post 4.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 2nd were given a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 2nd. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.23%.

Insider Transactions at Lamb Weston

In other Lamb Weston news, Director William G. Jurgensen purchased 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 26th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $55.43 per share, with a total value of $554,300.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 173,377 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,610,287.11. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter valued at $1,881,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Lamb Weston by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 123,288 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $13,326,000 after buying an additional 1,042 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 29.7% in the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 76,660 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $8,286,000 after buying an additional 17,571 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 864.0% in the fourth quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 482 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 432 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $475,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

About Lamb Weston

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.