Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Receives $81.00 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Hold" by the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $81.00.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on LW shares. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Lamb Weston in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $81.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Lamb Weston in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $85.00 price objective for the company.

Insider Activity

In other Lamb Weston news, Director Charles A. Blixt bought 1,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $63.25 per share, for a total transaction of $75,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,453,611.50. The trade was a 5.51 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert A. Niblock acquired 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $60.94 per share, with a total value of $182,820.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 26,406 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,609,181.64. This trade represents a 12.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.72% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LW. City State Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 56.2% in the 3rd quarter. City State Bank now owns 417 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston during the third quarter valued at $29,000. West Oak Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 155.7% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

Shares of LW traded down $0.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $59.05. The company had a trading volume of 2,402,033 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,377,214. The company's 50-day moving average is $66.88 and its 200-day moving average is $67.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The company has a market capitalization of $8.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.72. Lamb Weston has a twelve month low of $52.99 and a twelve month high of $107.50.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.01 by ($0.35). Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.45 EPS. Lamb Weston's revenue was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. This is a positive change from Lamb Weston's previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.51%. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio is presently 58.50%.

About Lamb Weston

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc produces, distributes, and markets frozen potato products worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Global, Foodservice, Retail, and Other. It offers frozen potatoes, commercial ingredients, and appetizers under the Lamb Weston brand, as well as under various customer labels.