Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Lowered to "Sell" Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

Several other research firms have also commented on LW. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Lamb Weston from $72.00 to $66.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $57.00 price target on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $56.00 price objective on Lamb Weston and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lamb Weston presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $70.64.

Lamb Weston Stock Down 1.2 %

LW traded down $0.61 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $51.50. 1,444,425 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,648,560. Lamb Weston has a fifty-two week low of $47.90 and a fifty-two week high of $89.51. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $53.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $63.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a current ratio of 1.35 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The company has a market cap of $7.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.36, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 3rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.23. 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 last year, the business earned $1.20 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio is currently 58.04%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. West Oak Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 155.7% during the fourth 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 period. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its position 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 acquiring an additional 520 shares in the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.