Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Short Interest Down 25.7% in March

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,700,000 shares, a drop of 25.7% from the February 28th total of 10,370,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,910,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.6 days. Currently, 5.5% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Insider Activity at Lamb Weston

In related news, Director Robert A. Niblock purchased 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $60.94 per share, with a total value of $182,820.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,609,181.64. This trade represents a 12.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.72% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 155.7% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 274 shares during the period. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Lamb Weston during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Lamb Weston Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of LW stock traded down $0.09 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $53.21. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,601,200 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,804,697. Lamb Weston has a 52 week low of $47.90 and a 52 week high of $105.31. 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 company’s fifty day simple moving average is $55.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.73. The company has a market cap of $7.59 billion, a PE ratio of 21.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.76.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 2nd will be paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 2nd. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LW has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. 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 report on Friday, December 20th. Citigroup cut Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Lamb Weston to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Lamb Weston has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $74.55.

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.