Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Rating Increased to Sell at StockNews.com

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) was upgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com to a “sell” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on LW. Citigroup lowered shares of Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $90.00 to $68.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Lamb Weston in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $81.00.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

Lamb Weston stock traded down $3.67 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $52.14. The company had a trading volume of 5,650,978 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,342,337. The company has a 50 day moving average of $61.61 and a 200-day moving average of $67.48. Lamb Weston has a 52 week low of $51.96 and a 52 week high of $107.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The firm has a market cap of $7.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.61, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.72.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.01 by ($0.35). The company had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 5.80% and a return on equity of 27.82%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.45 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Robert A. Niblock acquired 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $60.94 per share, with a total value of $182,820.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 26,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,609,181.64. This trade represents a 12.82 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Charles A. Blixt bought 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $63.25 per share, for a total transaction of $75,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 22,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,453,611.50. This trade represents a 5.51 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Lamb Weston

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LW. Alberta Investment Management Corp bought a new position in Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,641,000. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,850,000. Leeward Investments LLC MA increased its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 41.5% in the fourth quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA now owns 156,473 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $10,457,000 after acquiring an additional 45,904 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,343 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $892,000 after purchasing an additional 817 shares during the period. Finally, Nicola Wealth Management LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston during the third quarter worth about $6,474,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.