StockNews.com Downgrades Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) to Sell

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and issued a $57.00 target price on shares of Lamb Weston in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Lamb Weston from $72.00 to $66.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $56.00 price target on Lamb Weston and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Lamb Weston currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $70.64.

Lamb Weston Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of LW stock opened at $52.19 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $7.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.48. Lamb Weston has a 1 year low of $47.90 and a 1 year high of $89.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $53.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $63.76.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 3rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.87 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $1.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 27.82% and a net margin of 5.80%. Lamb Weston’s quarterly revenue was up 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.20 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LW. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in Lamb Weston by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,223 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the period. Romano Brothers AND Company raised its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 1.4% during the first quarter. Romano Brothers AND Company now owns 15,260 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $813,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL lifted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 7,130 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $476,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc grew its position in Lamb Weston by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 7,255 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $485,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the period. Finally, Norinchukin Bank The increased its stake in Lamb Weston by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 5,873 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. 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.