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

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) was the target of a large 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. Approximately 5.5% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 2,910,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.6 days.

Insider Transactions at Lamb Weston

In other news, Director Robert A. Niblock bought 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $60.94 per share, with a total value of $182,820.00. Following the acquisition, 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamb Weston

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in Lamb Weston by 16.1% during the 4th 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. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 5.4% during the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,649 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 7,130 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $476,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc grew its holdings in shares of Lamb Weston by 3.2% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. 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 worth $392,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the period. 89.56% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Lamb Weston in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Lamb Weston from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. One 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $74.55.

Lamb Weston Stock Performance

NYSE:LW opened at $53.95 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $7.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.76. Lamb Weston has a twelve month low of $47.90 and a twelve month high of $105.55. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $55.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.26.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 2nd. Lamb Weston’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.50%.

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.