Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the fourteen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $48.9091.

LW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Lamb Weston from $46.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Stephens assumed coverage on Lamb Weston in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $46.00 price objective for the company. Barclays dropped their price objective on Lamb Weston from $55.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Wednesday.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jana Partners Management, Lp bought 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $42.12 per share, for a total transaction of $4,212,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 5,348,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $225,299,037.60. The trade was a 1.91% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.29% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LW. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,679,203 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $698,692,000 after purchasing an additional 43,766 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 27.4% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 9,824,690 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $411,558,000 after acquiring an additional 2,111,874 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 63,865 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Lamb Weston by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,528,402 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $147,536,000 after acquiring an additional 21,256 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Lamb Weston by 2.5% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,286,305 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $190,869,000 after acquiring an additional 79,257 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of NYSE:LW traded up $1.18 during trading on Friday, reaching $46.42. The stock had a trading volume of 896,082 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,419,032. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $43.75 and its 200 day moving average is $43.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 1.46. Lamb Weston has a 52 week low of $37.62 and a 52 week high of $67.07. The stock has a market cap of $6.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.69, a P/E/G ratio of 6.19 and a beta of 0.47.

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.