Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Receives $82.36 Average Target Price from Analysts

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $81.42.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup downgraded Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $70.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lamb Weston

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of LW. City State Bank increased its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 56.2% in the third quarter. City State Bank now owns 417 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its position in Lamb Weston by 357.5% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the period. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in Lamb Weston in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the second quarter worth about $36,000. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

LW opened at $62.09 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $76.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $72.58. The stock has a market cap of $8.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.70. Lamb Weston has a 1-year low of $52.99 and a 1-year high of $111.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.01 by ($0.35). Lamb Weston had a net margin of 9.57% and a return on equity of 34.33%. The business had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.45 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston will post 4.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. This is an increase from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.92%.

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.