Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) has received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have given a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $65.70.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays increased their price objective on Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Lamb Weston from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $65.00 price objective on Lamb Weston and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Cfra Research upgraded Lamb Weston to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised their target price on Lamb Weston from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Lamb Weston by 23.0% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 723,215 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $38,547,000 after acquiring an additional 135,188 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC grew its stake in Lamb Weston by 2,603.3% during the 1st quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 189,826 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $10,118,000 after acquiring an additional 182,804 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the first quarter worth $1,059,000. Liberty One Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 17.4% during the first quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC now owns 411,353 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $21,925,000 after acquiring an additional 61,085 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the first quarter worth $3,847,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LW opened at $64.97 on Friday. Lamb Weston has a one year low of $47.87 and a one year high of $83.98. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $57.55 and a 200-day moving average of $54.88. The company has a market capitalization of $9.05 billion, a PE ratio of 31.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.32 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.49.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 24th. The specialty retailer reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 28.08% and a net margin of 4.56%.The company had revenue of $1.15 billion during the quarter. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 31st. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is 70.81%.

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.