Stifel Nicolaus Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Stock Price

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) had its price objective cut by Stifel Nicolaus from $50.00 to $45.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “hold” rating on the specialty retailer’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 14.20% from the company’s previous close.

Several other analysts also recently commented on LW. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $46.00 price objective on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on Lamb Weston from $46.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 30th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Lamb Weston from $54.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.00.

Lamb Weston Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Lamb Weston stock opened at $39.40 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.46. The company has a market capitalization of $5.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.41, a PEG ratio of 5.68 and a beta of 0.49. Lamb Weston has a 1 year low of $37.62 and a 1 year high of $67.07. The company’s fifty day moving average is $45.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $51.77.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 1st. The specialty retailer reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.11. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 4.61% and a return on equity of 23.77%. The business had revenue of $1.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.10 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Lamb Weston news, insider Jan Eli B. Craps purchased 50,000 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $48.65 per share, with a total value of $2,432,500.00. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 300,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,595,000. This represents a 20.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 239 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 44.2% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 649 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Motco acquired a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 380.7% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 721 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 571 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Lamb Weston

Here are the key news stories impacting Lamb Weston this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Lamb Weston beat Q3 revenue and EPS expectations, showing revenue of $1.56B and adjusted EPS of $0.72, which underpins the argument that top-line demand remains resilient. Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Management reiterated its “Focus to Win” cost‑savings program and a $250M target (management says it’s on track), which could help margin recovery and free cash flow over time. Earnings Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Lower contracted potato input costs (North America low‑single-digit decline, Europe mid‑teens) were flagged as a potential tailwind for fiscal 2027 margins. MarketBeat Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ consensus remains mixed: the street’s average rating is around “Hold” even as some firms retain overweight views — reflecting uncertainty rather than clear bullishness. Analyst Consensus
• Negative Sentiment: Several brokers trimmed price targets after the quarter (BNP Paribas Exane to $41, Barclays to $46, Stifel/Wells Fargo/BofA lowered targets), signaling reduced near‑term earnings visibility and prompting selling pressure. BNP Paribas PT Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts cut their forecasts and models after the results, citing persistent margin erosion from international expansion, mix and plant utilization — the main reason the stock has been under pressure despite a beat. Benzinga Coverage

Lamb Weston Company Profile

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.