Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Reaches New 1-Year Low on Analyst Downgrade

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW)’s share price hit a new 52-week low on Thursday after BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on the stock from $48.00 to $41.00. BNP Paribas Exane currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Lamb Weston traded as low as $38.18 and last traded at $38.3830, with a volume of 6953497 shares. The stock had previously closed at $42.26.

Several other research firms have also commented on LW. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Lamb Weston from $54.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Lamb Weston from $46.00 to $40.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $50.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lamb Weston currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $48.00.

Insider Transactions at Lamb Weston

In other news, insider Jan Eli B. Craps purchased 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $48.65 per share, with a total value of $2,432,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 300,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,595,000. The trade was a 20.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Key Lamb Weston News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Lamb Weston beat Q3 revenue and EPS expectations, showing revenue of $1.56B and adjusted EPS of $0.72, which underpins the argument that top-line demand remains resilient. Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Management reiterated its “Focus to Win” cost?savings program and a $250M target (management says it’s on track), which could help margin recovery and free cash flow over time. Earnings Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Lower contracted potato input costs (North America low?single-digit decline, Europe mid?teens) were flagged as a potential tailwind for fiscal 2027 margins. MarketBeat Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ consensus remains mixed: the street’s average rating is around “Hold” even as some firms retain overweight views — reflecting uncertainty rather than clear bullishness. Analyst Consensus
• Negative Sentiment: Several brokers trimmed price targets after the quarter (BNP Paribas Exane to $41, Barclays to $46, Stifel/Wells Fargo/BofA lowered targets), signaling reduced near?term earnings visibility and prompting selling pressure. BNP Paribas PT Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts cut their forecasts and models after the results, citing persistent margin erosion from international expansion, mix and plant utilization — the main reason the stock has been under pressure despite a beat. Benzinga Coverage

Institutional Trading of Lamb Weston

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LW. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in Lamb Weston by 29.4% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 185,038 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $9,862,000 after buying an additional 42,039 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 16,355 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $872,000 after acquiring an additional 549 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 78.8% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 26,114 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,354,000 after acquiring an additional 11,511 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Lamb Weston by 21.2% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 158,967 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $8,242,000 after purchasing an additional 27,802 shares during the period. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 2nd quarter worth $465,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Trading Up 0.1%

The stock has a market capitalization of $5.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.41, a P/E/G ratio of 5.68 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.46. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $45.03 and a 200-day moving average of $51.77.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 1st. The specialty retailer reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.49 billion. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 23.77% and a net margin of 4.61%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.10 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.