Stifel Nicolaus Raises Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Price Target to $65.00

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) had its price target increased by Stifel Nicolaus from $60.00 to $65.00 in a research report released on Thursday, 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. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Lamb Weston from $132.00 to $78.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Lamb Weston from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Lamb Weston from $98.00 to $70.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Consumer Edge lowered shares of Lamb Weston from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $82.40.

Lamb Weston Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE LW opened at $68.85 on Thursday. Lamb Weston has a 12-month low of $52.99 and a 12-month high of $111.88. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $62.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $77.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.94 billion, a PE ratio of 9.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.18 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 1st. The specialty retailer reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.55 billion. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 44.06% and a net margin of 11.22%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.63 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Lamb Weston will post 4.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 1st. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Lamb Weston news, Director William G. Jurgensen bought 10,000 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 26th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $55.43 per share, with a total value of $554,300.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 173,377 shares in the company, valued at $9,610,287.11. This represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LW. WFA Asset Management Corp raised its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 248.6% in the first quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 244 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Lamb Weston in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 357.5% during the 2nd 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 last quarter. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Lamb Weston by 135.8% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 382 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the period. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.