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

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $65.70.

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Cfra Research raised Lamb Weston to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $66.00 price objective on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on Lamb Weston in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $57.00 target price on the stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AlphaQuest LLC grew its position in shares of 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 period. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Lamb Weston in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Motco acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

Shares of NYSE LW opened at $62.71 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05. Lamb Weston has a 52 week low of $47.87 and a 52 week high of $83.98. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $59.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $55.68. The firm has a market cap of $8.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.01, a P/E/G ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 0.51.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 24th. The specialty retailer reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 4.56% and a return on equity of 28.08%. The firm had revenue of $1.15 billion during the quarter. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 31st. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is 70.81%.

Lamb Weston Company Profile

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.