StockNews.com Upgrades Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) to "Hold"

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Tuesday.

LW has been the topic of a number of other reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating and set a $57.00 price target on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $63.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Barclays cut their price target on Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Lamb Weston from $72.00 to $66.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lamb Weston presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $70.64.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:LW traded down $0.70 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $51.90. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,325,915 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,663,669. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $53.42 and a 200 day moving average of $64.20. Lamb Weston has a twelve month low of $47.90 and a twelve month high of $89.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.32 billion, a PE ratio of 20.51, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.82% and a net margin of 5.80%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.20 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd will be issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.04%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamb Weston

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital Research Global Investors acquired a new position in Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter worth $423,270,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter worth approximately $96,736,000. JANA Partners Management LP lifted its stake in Lamb Weston by 22.3% in the fourth quarter. JANA Partners Management LP now owns 7,131,339 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $476,587,000 after acquiring an additional 1,302,585 shares during the last quarter. Continental Grain Co. acquired a new position in Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter worth approximately $63,786,000. Finally, Boston Partners increased its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 26.8% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,477,165 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $232,330,000 after purchasing an additional 735,901 shares during the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lamb Weston Company Profile

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.