Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) Given New $68.00 Price Target at Stifel Nicolaus

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) had its price objective cut by research analysts at 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. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 9.52% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $81.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Lamb Weston from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $81.42.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

LW opened at $62.09 on Friday. Lamb Weston has a 1 year low of $52.99 and a 1 year high of $111.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The company has a market capitalization of $8.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.70. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $76.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $72.48.

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). Lamb Weston had a return on equity of 34.33% and a net margin of 9.57%. The firm had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Lamb Weston will post 4.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Lamb Weston

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LW. Southpoint Capital Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston in the third quarter worth approximately $129,480,000. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 108.7% in the 3rd quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,107,929 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $201,207,000 after acquiring an additional 1,618,570 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter valued at $86,883,000. TPG GP A LLC raised its position in Lamb Weston by 74.4% in the 2nd quarter. TPG GP A LLC now owns 2,924,230 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $245,869,000 after purchasing an additional 1,247,206 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in Lamb Weston by 78.5% in the second 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 during the last quarter. 89.56% of the stock is owned by 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.