Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Sets New 12-Month Low – What’s Next?

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $48.40 and last traded at $48.47, with a volume of 1182705 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $51.31.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup downgraded shares of Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Lamb Weston to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 price objective on the stock. 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $76.73.

Lamb Weston Stock Down 5.1 %

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $57.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.64. The stock has a market cap of $6.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.24, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.76. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.01 by ($0.35). The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. The firm’s revenue was down 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.45 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, January 31st were paid a $0.37 dividend. This is a boost from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.04%. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is 58.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lamb Weston

In other news, Director Charles A. Blixt acquired 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $63.25 per share, with a total value of $75,900.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at $1,453,611.50. This represents a 5.51 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 26,406 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,609,181.64. The trade was a 12.82 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.72% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lamb Weston

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 16.1% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,223 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 5.4% during the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,649 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $241,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL increased its position in Lamb Weston by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 7,130 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $476,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc increased its position in Lamb Weston by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 7,255 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $485,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the period. Finally, Norinchukin Bank The boosted its position in Lamb Weston by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 5,873 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $392,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

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.