Lamb Weston Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:LW)

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) was the target of unusually large options trading on Friday. Investors bought 13,209 call options on the company. This is an increase of 68% compared to the typical volume of 7,855 call options.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of Lamb Weston stock traded down $0.80 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $73.43. The stock had a trading volume of 2,146,764 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,431,031. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. Lamb Weston has a 1 year low of $52.99 and a 1 year high of $111.88. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $76.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.70.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 1st. The specialty retailer reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.55 billion. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 34.33% and a net margin of 9.57%. Lamb Weston’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.63 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston will post 4.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st were issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 1st. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on LW. Barclays upped their price target on Lamb Weston from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Lamb Weston from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Lamb Weston in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Lamb Weston from $70.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Lamb Weston has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $82.36.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. City State Bank increased its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 56.2% during the third quarter. City State Bank now owns 417 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 357.5% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 261 shares during the period. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. 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.