Stifel Nicolaus Cuts Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Price Target to $68.00

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) had its target price cut by Stifel Nicolaus from $80.00 to $68.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a hold rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

LW has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Lamb Weston in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price target on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $70.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lamb Weston currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $81.42.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of Lamb Weston stock opened at $62.09 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.70. Lamb Weston has a 52-week low of $52.99 and a 52-week high of $111.88. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $76.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $72.39.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last posted its earnings results 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). Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 34.33% and a net margin of 9.57%. The company had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.45 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston will post 4.26 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This is an increase from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is presently 56.92%.

Institutional Trading of Lamb Weston

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter worth about $129,480,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Lamb Weston by 108.7% in the third quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,107,929 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $201,207,000 after purchasing an additional 1,618,570 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the third quarter valued at approximately $86,883,000. TPG GP A LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 74.4% during the second quarter. TPG GP A LLC now owns 2,924,230 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $245,869,000 after purchasing an additional 1,247,206 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 78.5% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,888,556 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $158,790,000 after purchasing an additional 830,511 shares in the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.