Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Brokerages

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the twelve ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $74.55.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on LW shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating and set a $57.00 price target on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. StockNews.com raised Lamb Weston to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price 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.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Robert A. Niblock purchased 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $60.94 per share, for a total transaction of $182,820.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 26,406 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,609,181.64. The trade was a 12.82 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 155.7% during the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Lamb Weston in the third quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors own 89.56% of the company's stock.

Lamb Weston Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE:LW traded up $0.05 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $53.95. 2,720,775 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,796,373. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.76. The firm's fifty day moving average is $55.73 and its 200-day moving average is $65.88. Lamb Weston has a 12-month low of $47.90 and a 12-month high of $105.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. Lamb Weston's payout ratio is 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.