Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Price Target Cut to $68.00 by Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) had its price target trimmed by Stifel Nicolaus from $80.00 to $68.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a hold rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Citigroup downgraded Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America raised their target price on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Lamb Weston from $70.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $81.42.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 0.7 %

LW stock opened at $62.09 on Friday. Lamb Weston has a one year low of $52.99 and a one year high of $111.88. The stock has a market cap of $8.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $76.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by ($0.35). The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 34.33% and a net margin of 9.57%. The company’s revenue was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.45 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston will post 4.26 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lamb Weston

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. City State Bank boosted its stake in Lamb Weston by 56.2% in the 3rd quarter. City State Bank now owns 417 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 357.5% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the period. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Lamb Weston during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Family Firm Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

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.