Stifel Nicolaus Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Stock Price

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) had its price objective decreased by Stifel Nicolaus from $68.00 to $63.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a hold rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Citigroup downgraded Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $90.00 to $68.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $57.00 price target on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lamb Weston to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $73.09.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

NYSE:LW opened at $59.11 on Friday. Lamb Weston has a 12-month low of $47.90 and a 12-month high of $89.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $55.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $65.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.87 by $0.23. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.82% and a net margin of 5.80%. The business had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.20 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders 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 2.50%. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lamb Weston

In other Lamb Weston news, Director Robert A. Niblock bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the purchase, the director now owns 26,406 shares in the company, valued at $1,609,181.64. The trade was a 12.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its stake in Lamb Weston by 155.7% in the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter worth $47,000. 89.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.