Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Price Target Increased to $80.00 by Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Free Report) had its price target hoisted by Stifel Nicolaus from $65.00 to $80.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a hold rating on the specialty retailer's stock.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on LW. Citigroup lifted their target price on Lamb Weston from $76.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $68.00 target price (up previously from $63.00) on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Lamb Weston from $70.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. TD Cowen raised their price target on Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 24th. Finally, Consumer Edge cut Lamb Weston from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $82.22.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

LW stock traded down $0.46 during trading on Friday, reaching $76.92. The stock had a trading volume of 2,542,547 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,555,832. Lamb Weston has a 52 week low of $52.99 and a 52 week high of $111.88. The stock's 50 day moving average is $66.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. The firm has a market cap of $10.97 billion, a PE ratio of 18.06, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.75.

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

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 29th. Investors of record on Friday, November 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 1st. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.80%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bernzott Capital Advisors grew its stake in Lamb Weston by 110.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bernzott Capital Advisors now owns 98,145 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $6,354,000 after purchasing an additional 51,505 shares during the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. grew its stake in Lamb Weston by 66.8% during the 3rd quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 1,691 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $109,000 after purchasing an additional 677 shares during the last quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the third quarter worth about $204,000. First Financial Bankshares Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the third quarter worth about $6,506,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 7.2% in the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 16,780 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,086,000 after buying an additional 1,130 shares during the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.