Lamb Weston Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:LW)

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Friday. Investors purchased 31,574 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 301% compared to the typical volume of 7,866 put options.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:LW traded up $3.02 during trading on Friday, reaching $51.67. The stock had a trading volume of 1,851,489 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,709,983. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.35. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $57.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $66.51. The stock has a market cap of $7.37 billion, a PE ratio of 20.34, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.76. Lamb Weston has a 1-year low of $47.90 and a 1-year high of $107.50.

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

Lamb Weston Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were given a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.86%. This is an increase from Lamb Weston’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is currently 58.50%.

Insider Transactions at Lamb Weston

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter valued at $2,641,000. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter valued at $2,850,000. Leeward Investments LLC MA raised its position in Lamb Weston by 41.5% in the fourth quarter. Leeward Investments LLC MA now owns 156,473 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $10,457,000 after purchasing an additional 45,904 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,343 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $892,000 after buying an additional 817 shares during the period. Finally, Nicola Wealth Management LTD. purchased a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the 3rd quarter valued at $6,474,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LW has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays reduced their price target on Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $68.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 20th. StockNews.com upgraded Lamb Weston to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Lamb Weston in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $76.73.

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.