Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Given New $46.00 Price Target at Sanford C. Bernstein

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) had its price target cut by Sanford C. Bernstein from $65.00 to $46.00 in a report released on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $55.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Lamb Weston from $63.00 to $50.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $49.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $54.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Cfra Research raised Lamb Weston to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $54.18.

Lamb Weston Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of LW stock opened at $42.31 on Tuesday. Lamb Weston has a 52-week low of $41.41 and a 52-week high of $68.61. The business’s fifty day moving average is $59.64 and its 200 day moving average is $56.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.08, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.43. The company has a market capitalization of $5.88 billion, a PE ratio of 15.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 0.44.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.01. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.71% and a net margin of 6.06%.The firm had revenue of $1.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.66 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th will be paid a $0.38 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. This is an increase from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is currently 53.24%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LW. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $119,413,000. Ion Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the 2nd quarter worth about $84,379,000. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in Lamb Weston by 46.3% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 2,150,000 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $124,872,000 after purchasing an additional 680,000 shares in the last quarter. Gates Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Lamb Weston by 49.8% during the 1st quarter. Gates Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,016,142 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $107,460,000 after purchasing an additional 670,611 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in Lamb Weston by 989.7% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 704,239 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $36,515,000 after purchasing an additional 639,615 shares in the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Lamb Weston News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reaffirmed an overweight recommendation on Lamb Weston, signaling continued conviction from that shop despite the recent selloff. Barclays maintains Lamb Weston overweight
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call-option buying has been reported, indicating bullish positioning by some traders that could provide short-term support or volatility. Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Lamb Weston Call Options
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo kept an overweight stance but cut its price target materially (from $68 to $54), a mixed signal: continued long bias but lower upside expectations. Wells Fargo price target cut
• Neutral Sentiment: Several firms (TD Cowen, Stifel) are maintaining “hold” or neutral stances, reflecting broader analyst caution rather than bullish conviction. TD Cowen hold
• Neutral Sentiment: Market summaries note that analysts as a group are neutral on Lamb Weston, which supports a lack of strong catalyst to reverse the downtrend. Analysts are neutral on consumer goods stocks
• Negative Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane downgraded Lamb Weston from outperform to neutral, removing a prior source of analyst upside. BNP Paribas Exane rating lowered
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America lowered its expectations for Lamb Weston’s stock price, adding to downward pressure from big-bank outlook adjustments. Bank of America lowers expectations
• Negative Sentiment: Critical commentary and analysis highlight sustained underperformance and question valuation after the selloff — headlines and think pieces (Seeking Alpha, Benzinga) reinforce bearish sentiment and may discourage buyers. Seeking Alpha: Not a great deal after selloff Benzinga: Sustained underperformance

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.