Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Downgraded by Zacks Research to “Strong Sell”

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) was downgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also commented on LW. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Lamb Weston from $62.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Bank of America decreased their target price on Lamb Weston from $66.00 to $53.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $49.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $54.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $54.18.

Lamb Weston Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:LW opened at $41.85 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $52.88 and its 200-day moving average is $55.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.08, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 1.43. Lamb Weston has a 52 week low of $39.79 and a 52 week high of $67.07. The company has a market capitalization of $5.81 billion, a PE ratio of 15.05, a P/E/G ratio of 6.33 and a beta of 0.45.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 6.06% and a return on equity of 27.71%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.66 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LW. Byrne Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $148,000. Czech National Bank raised its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 36,746 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,539,000 after acquiring an additional 1,352 shares during the last quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter worth $84,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 2,682.3% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 801,708 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $33,584,000 after purchasing an additional 772,893 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter valued at about $5,900,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Lamb Weston Company Profile

Lamb Weston, traded on the NYSE under the symbol LW, is a leading global processor and supplier of frozen potato products. The company’s portfolio includes a variety of potato-based items such as French fries, potato wedges, hash browns and specialty cuts tailored to the foodservice and retail grocery channels. Lamb Weston serves quick-service restaurants, full-service operators, grocery chains and food distributors, offering customized product formats, packaging solutions and seasoning options to meet evolving customer demands.

Founded in 1950 and headquartered in Eagle, Idaho, Lamb Weston has grown from a regional processor into one of the world’s largest producers of frozen potato products.