Royal Bank of Canada Trims Holdings in Lamb Weston $LW

Royal Bank of Canada lessened its stake in Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) by 5.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 211,088 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 11,627 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada owned about 0.15% of Lamb Weston worth $8,922,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Lamb Weston by 44.2% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 649 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 380.7% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 721 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 571 shares in the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 121.1% during the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its stake in Lamb Weston by 4,512.0% in the first quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 1,153 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,128 shares in the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

LW opened at $52.19 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.97. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $46.78 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.05. Lamb Weston has a fifty-two week low of $37.62 and a fifty-two week high of $67.07. The firm has a market cap of $7.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.46.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its earnings results on Friday, July 24th. The specialty retailer reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.70 billion. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 23.33% and a net margin of 4.39%.Lamb Weston’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.87 earnings per share. Lamb Weston has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.950-3.250 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Lamb Weston will post 3.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 4th. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th will be given a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is currently 73.08%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on LW. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Lamb Weston from $45.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Barclays increased their target price on Lamb Weston from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Lamb Weston from $40.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Lamb Weston from $54.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on Lamb Weston from $42.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lamb Weston has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $53.36.

Trending Headlines about Lamb Weston

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

• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term earnings outlook improved: Zacks Research raised its FY2027 EPS forecast to $3.04 from $2.99 and its FY2028 estimate to $3.42 from $3.37. It also increased projections for Q2 2027, Q4 2027 and Q4 2028. Zacks expects FY2029 EPS of $3.78, suggesting improving earnings power over the longer term. Zacks Research estimate revisions
• Neutral Sentiment: Estimate changes were mixed: Zacks reduced its forecasts for Q1 2027 EPS to $0.58 from $0.62, Q1 2028 EPS to $0.71 from $0.74, Q2 2028 EPS to $0.86 from $0.87 and Q3 2028 EPS to $1.02 from $1.04. The revisions indicate some near- and medium-term pressure despite the improved full-year outlook. Lamb Weston earnings estimate revisions
• Positive Sentiment: Future earnings remain above current-year expectations: Zacks’ FY2028 and FY2029 EPS forecasts of $3.42 and $3.78 compare with the current-year consensus estimate of $3.05, reinforcing the potential for earnings growth if operating conditions improve. Lamb Weston earnings forecasts
• Negative Sentiment: Executive sold shares: An executive disposed of 3,820 Lamb Weston shares at $53.18 each, representing approximately $203,100. The transaction reduced the insider’s total equity holdings by 6% and direct holdings by 11%, potentially weighing on sentiment, although a single insider sale does not necessarily signal a change in business fundamentals. Executive Parts Ways With 3,820 Shares of Lamb Weston Stock

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.