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

Shares of Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $53.00.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on LW shares. Zacks Research lowered Lamb Weston from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Lamb Weston from $63.00 to $50.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 22nd. TD Cowen cut their price target on Lamb Weston from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $54.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jan Eli B. Craps bought 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were bought at an average price of $48.65 per share, for a total transaction of $2,432,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 300,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,595,000. This trade represents a 20.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lamb Weston

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC acquired a new position in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter valued at $301,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 58.4% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 23,837 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $999,000 after acquiring an additional 8,791 shares during the period. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury grew its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 158.2% in the fourth quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 42,201 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,938,000 after acquiring an additional 25,855 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its position in Lamb Weston by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 19,120 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $801,000 after acquiring an additional 1,164 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in Lamb Weston by 669.7% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 8,752 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $367,000 after purchasing an additional 7,615 shares in the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

Shares of LW stock opened at $48.89 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $46.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $54.40. Lamb Weston has a one year low of $39.79 and a one year high of $67.07. The stock has a market cap of $6.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.59, a P/E/G ratio of 7.19 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 0.64.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $1.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.59 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.66 EPS. Lamb Weston’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $0.38 per share. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. This is a boost from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.68%.

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.