Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Lamb Weston has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from ten analysts, with seven rating it as a hold and three as a buy, indicating a cautious outlook.
• The company's latest earnings report showed $0.87 earnings per share, beating estimates of $0.64, along with a 4% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• Lamb Weston declared a quarterly dividend of $0.37 to be paid on August 29th, representing an annualized dividend yield of 2.43%.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the ten analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $67.40.

Several research analysts recently commented on LW shares. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Lamb Weston from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LW. American National Bank & Trust bought a new position in Lamb Weston in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in Lamb Weston in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in Lamb Weston in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 64.2% in the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 537 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 3,466.7% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 535 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 520 shares during the period. 89.56% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Stock Up 3.9%

Lamb Weston stock opened at $60.87 on Friday. Lamb Weston has a twelve month low of $47.87 and a twelve month high of $83.98. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $53.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $54.43. The company has a market capitalization of $8.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.23. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.54% and a return on equity of 27.99%. The firm had revenue of $1.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.78 EPS. The company's revenue was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 1st will be issued a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 1st. Lamb Weston's payout ratio is 58.96%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.