Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,700,000 shares, a drop of 25.7% from the February 28th total of 10,370,000 shares. Approximately 5.5% of the company's stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,910,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.6 days.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Trading of Lamb Weston

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. West Oak Capital LLC grew 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 valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares during the period. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company's stock.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

Shares of Lamb Weston stock traded up $5.49 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $59.64. 5,142,767 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,823,078. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $55.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.65. Lamb Weston has a one year low of $47.90 and a one year high of $103.49. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $8.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.76.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.22. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. The company had revenue of $1.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.20 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on LW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Lamb Weston from $72.00 to $66.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup lowered Lamb Weston from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $90.00 to $68.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Lamb Weston presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $73.55.

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.