Liberty One Reduces Stake in Lamb Weston, Indicating Waning Confidence
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 16 2026
0mins
Should l Buy LW?
Source: Fool
Lamb Weston Holdings Inc shares fell 5.50% as it crossed below the 5-day SMA amid concerns over investor confidence.
Liberty One Investment Management reduced its stake in Lamb Weston by 544,473 shares, valued at approximately $32.04 million, reflecting a cautious outlook on the company's future performance. Following this sale, Lamb Weston now represents only 2.23% of Liberty One's portfolio, down from 3.1% in the previous quarter. The company has faced declining sales over the last two years, and its shares are down 12.4% over the past year, significantly underperforming the S&P 500 by 25 percentage points.
The reduction in stake by Liberty One highlights the challenges Lamb Weston faces in maintaining its competitive edge, especially with a net debt of $3.8 billion against a market cap of $6.9 billion, which may deter aggressive growth investors.
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Analyst Views on LW
Wall Street analysts forecast LW stock price to rise
9 Analyst Rating
3 Buy
6 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 44.480
Low
48.00
Averages
54.44
High
65.00
Current: 44.480
Low
48.00
Averages
54.44
High
65.00
About LW
Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. is a global producer, distributor, and marketer of value-added frozen potato products. The Company is a supplier of frozen potato, sweet potato, appetizer and vegetable products to restaurants and retailers around the globe. The Company’s segments include North America and International. The Company’s frozen potato products are sold in North America and international markets generally to North American-based restaurant chains and international customers, comprised of global and regional quick service and full-service restaurant chains, foodservice distributors, and retailers. Its product portfolio includes frozen potatoes and appetizers sold under the Lamb Weston brand, as well as many customer labels. The Company’s product categories include classic fries, extra crispy fries, sweet potatoes, and other products. Its recipes include appetizers, desserts, dips, sauces and seasonings, entree, salad, side dishes, and topped and loaded.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Calls for Corporate Restructuring: The goals of activist investors include pushing companies to consider breakups or restructuring to better focus on core operations, thereby increasing operational efficiency and market competitiveness.
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- Shareholder Value Enhancement: Starboard Value LP believes that Lamb Weston has taken important steps forward, indicating that the company's potential in the market is being recognized and is expected to significantly enhance shareholder value.
- Earnings Power Expansion: Starboard highlights a clear opportunity for Lamb Weston to structurally increase its earnings power by expanding margins, emphasizing the potential for future growth within the company.
- Cost Savings Initiatives: Starboard urges Lamb Weston to double the previously announced cost savings initiatives, with a particular focus on reducing selling, general, and administrative expenses to improve overall operational efficiency.
- International Asset Review: Starboard encourages a strategic review of Lamb Weston’s international portfolio, including the potential divestiture of select APAC assets, to optimize resource allocation and enhance company value.
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- Oil Prices Surge: The rally occurred amid rising oil prices, which surpassed $100 a barrel due to the ongoing Iran war.
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