LW · Consumer staples(canned, frozen & preservd fruit, veg & food specialties) · 10 years of annual accounts filed with the SEC · latest fiscal year ended 2026-05-31
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Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. reported revenue of $6.6 billion in fiscal 2026, after growing 7.6% a year over the previous 9 years. Its operating margin narrowed from 16.9% in 2018 to 8.9%, and it earned 7.1% on its invested capital in the latest year. Of the $6.1 billion its operations generated over 10 years, 63.7% went back into the business and 22.9% to dividends; the share count fell 5.4%. On the accounting screens, it passes 7 of 9 Piotroski tests, its Altman Z'' of 2.71 is in the safe zone and its Beneish M-score is below the -1.78 line; 1 of the six cross-checks between its statements fires.
Revenue, fiscal 20266.6B+7.6% a year over 9 years
Operating margin8.9%gross margin 20.6%
Return on invested capital7.1%18.7% on average over 4 years
Free cash flow after stock pay494.0M7.5% of revenue
Net debt ÷ EBITDA3.9×net debt 3.9B
Piotroski F-score7/9tests of improvement passed
Is it growing?
Revenue and the operating income it turns into. Growth that does not reach operating income is growth bought with margin.
RevenueOperating income
02.0B4.0B6.0B8.0B
2018Revenue 3.4BOperating income 580.1M
2019Revenue 3.8BOperating income 668.4M
2020Revenue 3.8BOperating income 556.9M
2021Revenue 3.7BOperating income 474.8M
2022Revenue 4.1BOperating income 444.4M
2023Revenue 5.4BOperating income 882.1M
2023
2024Revenue 6.5BOperating income 1.1B
2025Revenue 6.5BOperating income 665.1M
2026Revenue 6.6BOperating income 591.1M
2018201920202021202220232023202420252026
Compound growth a year
3 yrs
5 yrs
9 yrs
Revenue
—
+10.0%
+7.6%
Operating income
—
+5.9%
+0.2%
Net income
—
+7.6%
-4.0%
Earnings per share
—
+8.6%
-3.4%
Free cash flow per share
—
+34.5%
+14.1%
Dividend per share
—
+9.5%
+7.9%
Shares
—
-1.0%
-0.6%
Falling shares are buybacks: each remaining share owns more of the company.
Does it earn more than its capital costs?
Margins say how much of each sale is kept; return on invested capital says how much the business earns on the money it needs to operate. Growth only creates value when that return is above the cost of the capital.
Return on invested capitalCost of capital today · 6.4%
-5000.0%0.0%5000.0%10000.0%15000.0%
2018Return on invested capital -139.4%
2019Return on invested capital 13804.1%
2020Return on invested capital 57.7%
2021
2022
2023Return on invested capital 45.9%
2023
2024Return on invested capital 13.6%
2025Return on invested capital 8.1%
2026Return on invested capital 7.1%
2018201920202021202220232023202420252026
Economic profit
Economic profit
0200.0M400.0M600.0M800.0M
2018Economic profit 474.2M
2019Economic profit 524.3M
2020Economic profit 378.9M
2021
2022
2023Economic profit 621.1M
2023
2024Economic profit 428.9M
2025Economic profit 99.3M
2026Economic profit 42.8M
2018201920202021202220232023202420252026
(return on capital − cost of capital) × capital invested: the profit left after paying for the money used. Today's cost of capital is applied to every year, since a past one cannot be rebuilt honestly.
Return on equity
15.9%
Return on assets
3.9%
Asset turnover
0.90×
Research & development
0.3% of revenue
Overheads (SG&A)
10.1% of revenue
Is the profit cash, and where does the cash go?
Net income is an accounting opinion; free cash flow is what was left in the bank after investing. Stock-based pay does not leave the bank — shareholders pay it through dilution — so it is shown taken off as well.
Net incomeFree cash flowAfter stock-based pay
-500.0M0500.0M1.0B1.5B
2018Net income 416.8MFree cash flow 174.4MAfter stock-based pay 160.9M
2019Net income 478.6MFree cash flow 346.7MAfter stock-based pay 327.9M
2020Net income 365.9MFree cash flow 406.3MAfter stock-based pay 383.5M
2021Net income 317.8MFree cash flow 405.5MAfter stock-based pay 384.9M
2022Net income 200.9MFree cash flow 128.5MAfter stock-based pay 107.2M
2023Net income 1.0BFree cash flow 107.7MAfter stock-based pay 69.2M
2023
2024Net income 725.5MFree cash flow -131.3MAfter stock-based pay -178.1M
2025Net income 357.2MFree cash flow 230.1MAfter stock-based pay 190.6M
2026Net income 290.0MFree cash flow 540.2MAfter stock-based pay 494.0M
2018201920202021202220232023202420252026
Where 10 years of operating cash went, 2018–2026
6.1B generated by the business. Each band is its share of that total.
Reinvested in the business 64%3.9B
Acquisitions 4%215.8M
Dividends 23%1.4B
Share buybacks 0%0
Kept, or used to pay down debt 10%598.5M
Over the same years it paid 268.0M in stock. The share count fell 5.4%.
Per share
Earnings per shareFree cash flow per shareDividend per share
$-2.00$0.00$2.00$4.00$6.00$8.00
2018Earnings per share $2.84Free cash flow per share $1.19Dividend per share $0.75
2019Earnings per share $3.25Free cash flow per share $2.35Dividend per share $0.77
2020Earnings per share $2.49Free cash flow per share $2.76Dividend per share $0.82
2021Earnings per share $2.16Free cash flow per share $2.76Dividend per share $0.92
2022Earnings per share $1.38Free cash flow per share $0.88Dividend per share $0.95
2023Earnings per share $6.95Free cash flow per share $0.74Dividend per share $1.01
2023
2024Earnings per share $4.98Free cash flow per share $-0.90Dividend per share $1.20
2025Earnings per share $2.50Free cash flow per share $1.61Dividend per share $1.45
2026Earnings per share $2.08Free cash flow per share $3.88Dividend per share $1.49
2018201920202021202220232023202420252026
Shares outstanding
Diluted shares
137.5M140.0M142.5M145.0M147.5M
2018Diluted shares 147.0M
2019Diluted shares 147.3M
2020Diluted shares 147.1M
2021Diluted shares 147.1M
2022Diluted shares 145.9M
2023Diluted shares 145.2M
2023
2024Diluted shares 145.6M
2025Diluted shares 142.7M
2026Diluted shares 139.1M
2018201920202021202220232023202420252026
How strong is the balance sheet?
Debt is not bad in itself; debt the business cannot service in a bad year is. Net debt is debt minus cash, and below zero the company holds more cash than it owes.
Net debt
-2.0B02.0B4.0B6.0B
2018Net debt -46.0M
2019Net debt -3.8M
2020Net debt -865.3M
2021
2022
2023Net debt -144.2M
2023
2024Net debt 4.1B
2025Net debt 4.1B
2026Net debt 3.9B
2018201920202021202220232023202420252026
Net debt ÷ EBITDA
3.9×
Interest coverage
— operating income ÷ interest
Current ratio
1.42 current assets ÷ current liabilities
Cash conversion cycle
68 days collects in 43d, stock 67d, pays in 43d
Three classic screens of the accounts
Each asks a different question of the same statements — is it improving, does it look like a company heading for distress, do the accounts resemble ones that were manipulated. None is a verdict; each shows what moves it.
Piotroski F-score
Is the business improving? Nine yes-or-no tests, this year against last.
7of 9 tests passed
✓ProfitableReturn on assets above zeropassed
✓Cash from operationsOperating cash flow above zeropassed
✕Profitability improvedReturn on assets higher than a year beforefailed
✓Profit backed by cashOperating cash flow above net income (low accruals)passed
✓Less long-term debtLong-term debt as a share of assets fellpassed
✓More liquidCurrent ratio higher than a year beforepassed
✓No new sharesShare count did not growpassed
✕Better gross marginGross margin higher than a year beforefailed
✓Sells more per assetAsset turnover higher than a year beforepassed
Where it misleads: it measures change, not level. An excellent business that stood still for a year scores low; a poor one recovering from a disaster scores high.
Altman Z''-score
Does the balance sheet look like those of companies that went bankrupt?
2.71safe zone
1.12.6
Working capital ÷ assets 0.08 × 6.56+0.53
Retained earnings ÷ assets 0.40 × 3.26+1.29
Operating income ÷ assets 0.08 × 6.72+0.54
Equity ÷ liabilities 0.33 × 1.05+0.34
Where it misleads: buybacks. A company that returns so much cash that its equity turns small or negative sinks the last two ratios without being anywhere near bankruptcy. Banks and insurers do not fit the model at all.
Beneish M-score
Do the accounts resemble those of companies that manipulated their earnings?
-2.86below the -1.78 line
-1.78
Receivables vs sales 0.97+0.89
Gross margin slipping 1.05+0.56
Soft assets 1.00 (not reported, set to 1)+0.40
Sales growth 1.02+0.91
Slower depreciation 1.00 (not reported, set to 1)+0.12
Overheads vs sales 1.02-0.18
Profit not in cash -0.09-0.41
Leverage rising 0.97-0.32
Where it misleads: fast growth and acquisitions. Sales growth carries a heavy weight, so a company growing 50% a year scores like a suspect without having done anything. It is a screen from a 1999 study, not an accusation.
Where the statements disagree
Cross-checks between the income statement, the balance sheet and the cash flow for the latest year, each with the benign reading and the worrying one.
Net debt is 3.9 times EBITDA.
Benign
A stable sector with predictable cash flows and comfortable maturities.
Worrying
Little room if earnings fall; the maturity schedule is what to check.
What is it worth, under which assumptions?
A company is worth the cash it will generate, brought back to today. This model projects revenue with growth that fades over the years, applies a free cash flow margin, and discounts the result at the cost of capital. Every assumption says where it came from, and all of them can be changed.
Value per share, with these assumptions$29.97discounted at 6.4% a year · 72% of it from after year 10
Type a share price on the left to ask the reverse questions: what growth, what margin or what discount rate that price implies.
What the value implies, in the usual multiples
At this model's value
Price ÷ earnings
14.4×
Enterprise value ÷ EBITDA
8.1×
Enterprise value ÷ revenue
1.2×
Free cash flow yield
11.8%
From cash flows to a value per share
10 years of cash flow, today2.3B
Everything after, today5.8B
The whole business8.0B
Minus net debt-3.9B
What belongs to shareholders4.2B
Divided among 139.1M shares: <strong>$29.97</strong> each.
The projection next to its history
Reported free cash flow after stock pay, then the model's. A projection that looks nothing like the past needs a reason.
ReportedProjected
-200.0M0200.0M400.0M600.0M
2018Reported 160.9M
2019Reported 327.9M
2020Reported 383.5M
2021Reported 384.9M
2022Reported 107.2M
2023Reported 69.2M
2023
2024Reported -178.1M
2025Reported 190.6M
2026Reported 494.0M
2027Projected 222.1M
2028Projected 247.3M
2029Projected 272.8M
2030Projected 297.8M
2031Projected 321.8M
2032Projected 344.1M
2033Projected 364.2M
2034Projected 381.4M
2035Projected 395.1M
2036Projected 405.0M
2018202020222023202520272029203120332035
Year by year
2027
2028
2029
2030
2031
2032
2033
2034
2035
2036
Revenue
7.4B
8.3B
9.1B
10.0B
10.8B
11.5B
12.2B
12.8B
13.2B
13.6B
Growth
12.5%
11.4%
10.3%
9.2%
8.1%
6.9%
5.8%
4.7%
3.6%
2.5%
Cash margin
3.0%
3.0%
3.0%
3.0%
3.0%
3.0%
3.0%
3.0%
3.0%
3.0%
Free cash flow
222.1M
247.3M
272.8M
297.8M
321.8M
344.1M
364.2M
381.4M
395.1M
405.0M
Worth today
208.7M
218.5M
226.5M
232.5M
236.1M
237.3M
236.1M
232.4M
226.4M
218.1M
If the least-known inputs move
Value per share as two inputs change at a time. Neighbouring cells that differ a lot are the conclusion: the value depends on numbers nobody knows to a point.
The discount rate and growth forever
discount ↓ · forever →
1.5%
2.0%
2.5%
3.0%
3.5%
5.4%
32
40
51
66
89
5.9%
25
31
39
49
64
6.4%
19
24
30
38
48
6.9%
15
19
23
29
36
7.4%
11
14
18
22
28
Year-one growth and the final margin
margin ↓ · growth →
8.5%
10.5%
12.5%
14.5%
16.5%
2.4%
13
16
20
24
28
2.7%
17
21
25
30
35
3.0%
21
25
30
35
40
3.3%
25
30
35
40
46
3.6%
29
34
40
46
52
All the inputs moving at once
4,967 valuations, each with growth, final margin, discount rate and growth forever drawn at random around the values on the left (spreads of 3.0%, 2.0%, 1.0% and 0.5%). Not a probability — the spreads are assumptions too — but an honest picture of how wide the answer is.
10th percentile$-12.93
Median$29.62
90th percentile$94.18
$0.00$100.00$200.00
Half of the simulations land between <b>$6.09</b> and <b>$57.87</b>; one in ten below $-12.93, one in ten above $94.18.
Does the long run make sense?
5.3×The terminal value prices the business in year 10 at 5.3 times that year's EBITDA.
5%To grow 2.5% forever while reinvesting 52% of its after-tax operating profit, the business must earn 5% on the new capital — it has earned 19% on average over the last five years.
72%of the value comes from after year 10. The more of it, the more the answer depends on the part nobody can see.
Every Form 4 filed in the last twelve months, read line by line: 6 filings by 6 people. Open-market purchases and sales are counted apart from awards, option exercises and shares withheld for taxes.
Bought on the open market—none in the period
Sold on the open market—none in the period
Under pre-arranged plans—of the sales followed a 10b5-1 plan set months earlier
A Form 4 says what happened, when, how many shares and at what price. It does not say why: a sale can be diversification, a tax bill or a plan fixed months earlier, and an award is pay, not a purchase. Nothing here is a reason to buy or sell anything.
Which large funds report holding it
From the Form 13F of the 28 institutions followed on this site, as of the end of their last reported quarter. A 13F is filed up to 45 days later and shows only long positions in US-listed shares.
Accounts from the company's own SEC filings; lines some companies do not report are shown as a dash rather than estimated. The risk-free rate is the 10-year US Treasury yield. A DCF is a way of making assumptions explicit, not a forecast: it states what the company would be worth if the assumptions held. The scores are screens that point where to look, not verdicts. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell.