Key Points
- Jana Partners bought 100,000 LW shares on April 8 at $41.41 (about $4.14M) after purchasing 136,000 shares on April 7, bringing its total stake to 5,248,980 shares and representing roughly $9.7M of insider purchases that signal activist support.
- Lamb Weston beat quarterly expectations with $0.72 EPS vs. $0.61 consensus and $1.56B in revenue versus $1.49B, and also declared a $0.38 quarterly dividend (annualized yield ~3.7%).
- Analyst and institutional backdrop is mixed: the consensus rating is a Hold with an average price target of $48, several recent price-target cuts, and high institutional ownership (~89.6%).
Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) Director Jana Partners Management, Lp acquired 100,000 shares of Lamb Weston stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $41.41 per share, for a total transaction of $4,141,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 5,248,980 shares of the company's stock, valued at $217,360,261.80. The trade was a 1.94% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.
Jana Partners Management, Lp also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Tuesday, April 7th, Jana Partners Management, Lp bought 136,000 shares of Lamb Weston stock. The shares were acquired at an average price of $40.89 per share, with a total value of $5,561,040.00.
Lamb Weston Trading Up 0.1%
Lamb Weston stock opened at $41.61 on Friday. Lamb Weston has a 1 year low of $37.62 and a 1 year high of $67.07. The firm's 50-day moving average is $44.71 and its 200-day moving average is $51.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 1.46. The company has a market cap of $5.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.44, a PEG ratio of 6.03 and a beta of 0.49.
Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 1st. The specialty retailer reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $1.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.49 billion. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 4.61% and a return on equity of 23.77%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Lamb Weston will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current year.
Lamb Weston Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $0.38 per share. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. Lamb Weston's dividend payout ratio is presently 71.03%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lamb Weston
Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LW. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Lamb Weston in the 4th quarter worth about $125,662,000. M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in Lamb Weston by 45,177.0% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 2,835,245 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $118,768,000 after purchasing an additional 2,828,983 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in Lamb Weston by 27.4% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 9,824,690 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $411,558,000 after purchasing an additional 2,111,874 shares during the period. Ion Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Lamb Weston in the second quarter worth $84,379,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Lamb Weston by 2,682.3% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 801,708 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $33,584,000 after buying an additional 772,893 shares during the period. 89.56% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of research analysts recently commented on LW shares. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Lamb Weston in a research note on Friday, March 27th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Lamb Weston from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Zacks Research raised shares of Lamb Weston from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $46.00 to $40.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on Lamb Weston from $49.00 to $47.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $48.00.
View Our Latest Report on LW
Trending Headlines about Lamb Weston
Here are the key news stories impacting Lamb Weston this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Jana Partners purchased roughly $9.7M of LW shares, increasing its stake and signaling activist support that can bolster investor confidence and potentially influence strategic/operational decisions. Jana Partners buys Lamb Weston shares
- Positive Sentiment: Multiple insider buys: Jana Partners (as a director) added 136,000 and 100,000 shares in early April at ~\$40.89–\$41.41; director Peter Bensen also bought 5,000 shares at \$39.45. These purchases (SEC-filed) show insider conviction near current price levels, which can support the stock. SEC ownership filing
- Positive Sentiment: Barclays reaffirmed a Buy on LW, giving some analyst backing amid mixed coverage — a positive endorsement for momentum and institutional interest. Barclays reaffirms buy
- Neutral Sentiment: FY2026 guidance updated: revenue guided to about \$6.5B–\$6.6B, roughly in line with consensus — neither a clear upside surprise nor a miss. EPS guidance in the release was unclear/missing in the bulletin, so takeaways are muted until full guidance is clarified. (Company update)
- Neutral Sentiment: Trading volume is below the stock's average, suggesting today’s move is not yet broad-based; monitor volume for confirmation of any trend. (Market data)
- Negative Sentiment: Several analysts have trimmed price targets recently (JPMorgan, TD Cowen, Wells Fargo, Deutsche Bank) and the consensus rating leans toward Hold — a headwind for near‑term upside given reduced wall‑street expectations. MarketBeat LW overview
Lamb Weston Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
Lamb Weston, traded on the NYSE under the symbol LW, is a leading global processor and supplier of frozen potato products. The company's portfolio includes a variety of potato-based items such as French fries, potato wedges, hash browns and specialty cuts tailored to the foodservice and retail grocery channels. Lamb Weston serves quick-service restaurants, full-service operators, grocery chains and food distributors, offering customized product formats, packaging solutions and seasoning options to meet evolving customer demands.
Founded in 1950 and headquartered in Eagle, Idaho, Lamb Weston has grown from a regional processor into one of the world's largest producers of frozen potato products.
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