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

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) saw unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock investors bought 7,287 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 234% compared to the average daily volume of 2,184 call options.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 0.6%

LW stock opened at $46.53 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.42 billion, a PE ratio of 21.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.21 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 1.46. Lamb Weston has a one year low of $37.62 and a one year high of $67.07. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $44.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.09.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on LW shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $46.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $55.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Stephens started coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $46.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $46.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lamb Weston currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.91.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MCF Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 44.2% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 649 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 380.7% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 721 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 571 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter valued at about $52,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 47.1% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 953 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the period. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 121.1% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 619 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

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.