Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) Short Interest Update

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on LW. StockNews.com raised Lamb Weston to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted 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. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $87.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Citigroup cut shares of Lamb Weston from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $90.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $74.55.

Lamb Weston Price Performance

NYSE:LW traded down $0.75 on Monday, reaching $53.26. The stock had a trading volume of 2,824,946 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,796,496. The company has a market capitalization of $7.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.76. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $55.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $65.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26. Lamb Weston has a 1-year low of $47.90 and a 1-year high of $105.55.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Robert A. Niblock bought 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $60.94 per share, with a total value of $182,820.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,406 shares in the company, valued at $1,609,181.64. This represents a 12.82 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamb Weston

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. West Oak Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 155.7% in the fourth quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 450 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Lamb Weston during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Lamb Weston in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Lamb Weston during the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. 89.56% of the stock is 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.