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

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) was the target of unusually large options trading on Thursday. Traders purchased 34,659 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 336% compared to the typical daily volume of 7,946 put options.

Lamb Weston Stock Down 19.3 %

Shares of NYSE:LW traded down $15.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $63.11. 3,649,869 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,480,118. The company has a market cap of $9.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.70. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $77.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $72.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. Lamb Weston has a one year low of $52.99 and a one year high of $111.88.

Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 19th. The specialty retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.01 by ($0.35). The business had revenue of $1.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. Lamb Weston had a net margin of 9.57% and a return on equity of 34.33%. Lamb Weston’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.45 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Lamb Weston will post 4.26 EPS for the current year.

Lamb Weston Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st were issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 1st. Lamb Weston’s payout ratio is 33.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on LW shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Lamb Weston from $68.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Lamb Weston from $76.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Lamb Weston from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Lamb Weston in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “hold” rating and a $81.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Lamb Weston in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $85.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $84.25.

Institutional Trading of Lamb Weston

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. City State Bank grew its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 56.2% in the 3rd quarter. City State Bank now owns 417 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS increased its position in Lamb Weston by 0.8% during the third quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 18,756 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,214,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Lamb Weston by 2.8% during the third quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,648 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $430,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Lamb Weston by 5.4% in the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,649 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $241,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Lamb Weston by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 13,382 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,125,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.56% of the company’s stock.

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.