JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Positive Forecast for Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Stock Price

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Free Report) had its price target increased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $68.00 to $78.00 in a research note released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the specialty retailer's stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on LW. Barclays increased their price target on Lamb Weston from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, October 4th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Lamb Weston from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of 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 shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Thursday. They set a "hold" rating and a $81.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set a "market perform" rating and a $85.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $83.27.

Lamb Weston Trading Up 3.7 %

Lamb Weston stock traded up $2.94 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $82.21. 5,423,995 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,468,900. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.72 billion, a PE ratio of 19.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $76.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $72.85. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. Lamb Weston has a 52 week low of $52.99 and a 52 week high of $111.88.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 1st. The specialty retailer reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.01. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 9.57% and a return on equity of 34.33%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.55 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.63 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston will post 4.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 1st were given a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.75%. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.80%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. City State Bank raised its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 56.2% during 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 in the last quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS raised its position in Lamb Weston by 0.8% during the third quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 18,756 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,214,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Lamb Weston by 2.8% in the third quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,648 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $430,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,649 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $241,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 13,382 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,125,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is 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.