Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the fifteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $54.1818.

A number of analysts have weighed in on LW shares. BNP Paribas set a $48.00 target price on Lamb Weston in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Cfra Research upgraded shares of Lamb Weston to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $66.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE LW opened at $43.32 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.58, a PEG ratio of 6.63 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. The business’s 50 day moving average is $51.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.45. Lamb Weston has a 1-year low of $39.79 and a 1-year high of $67.07.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 6.06% and a return on equity of 27.71%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.66 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 is a boost from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.24%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LW. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its stake in Lamb Weston by 2.0% in the third quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 9,685 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $563,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 64.2% in the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 537 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Banque de Luxembourg S.A. lifted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 13.6% in the 3rd quarter. Banque de Luxembourg S.A. now owns 1,772 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 6.5% during the third quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,718 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $216,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 115.5% during 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

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.