Short Interest in Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Grows By 38.2%

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 5,855,978 shares, a growth of 38.2% from the December 15th total of 4,237,796 shares. Currently, 4.2% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 5,147,379 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.1 days. Based on an average daily volume of 5,147,379 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.1 days. Currently, 4.2% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Institutional Trading of Lamb Weston

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 1.1% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,801,585 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $300,812,000 after buying an additional 63,865 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Lamb Weston by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,286,305 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $190,869,000 after purchasing an additional 79,257 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Lamb Weston during the 2nd quarter worth about $119,413,000. Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in shares of 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 valued at $124,872,000 after purchasing an additional 680,000 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 23.8% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,968,872 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $114,320,000 after purchasing an additional 378,264 shares during the period. 89.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BNP Paribas set a $48.00 target price on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 22nd. BNP Paribas Exane lowered shares of Lamb Weston from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $49.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $54.18.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE LW opened at $43.32 on Monday. Lamb Weston has a twelve month low of $39.79 and a twelve month high of $67.07. The stock has a market cap of $6.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.58, a P/E/G ratio of 6.63 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.08. The company’s fifty day moving average is $51.75 and its 200-day moving average is $55.47.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.59 billion. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 6.06% and a return on equity of 27.71%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.38 per share. This is a boost from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.24%.

About Lamb Weston

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.