Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Sees Strong Trading Volume

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 2,802,130 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 70% from the previous session's volume of 1,648,893 shares.The stock last traded at $84.94 and had previously closed at $101.12.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on LW shares. StockNews.com lowered Lamb Weston from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th. BNP Paribas started coverage on Lamb Weston in a research report on Monday, March 11th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $128.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Lamb Weston from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Lamb Weston in a research report on Tuesday, December 12th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Thursday, February 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $132.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $127.20.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 19.4 %

The company has a market capitalization of $11.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.60, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 0.72. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $102.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $99.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 4th. The specialty retailer reported $1.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.42 by ($0.22). The company had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.65 billion. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 63.19% and a net margin of 17.71%. The business's revenue was up 16.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.43 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. will post 5.95 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Investors of record on Friday, May 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 2nd. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.77%. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio is 18.73%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 1.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,085,009 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $963,653,000 after purchasing an additional 198,274 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 2.7% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,827,657 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $669,889,000 after purchasing an additional 154,165 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $383,220,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 2.3% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,417,548 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $315,986,000 after purchasing an additional 77,937 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 2.3% during the first quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,043,919 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $317,658,000 after purchasing an additional 69,429 shares in the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is currently 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.