Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the twelve analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $69.91.

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lamb Weston from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $72.00 to $66.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $57.00 price target on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $56.00 price target on shares of Lamb Weston and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th.

Lamb Weston Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE LW opened at $51.17 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $7.22 billion, a PE ratio of 20.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. Lamb Weston has a 12-month low of $47.90 and a 12-month high of $89.51. The company has a 50-day moving average of $53.04 and a 200 day moving average of $62.20.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.23. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.82% and a net margin of 5.80%. The business had revenue of $1.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.20 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be given a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is 58.04%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 3,466.7% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 535 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares in the last quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Lamb Weston

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.