Lamb Weston replaces CEO amid push from Jana as forecast cuts singe shares

By Juveria Tabassum

(Reuters) – Lamb Weston trimmed its annual forecasts and changed its CEO with insider Michael Smith on Thursday, following stress from activist investor Jana Companions to revamp its prime administration or promote itself.

Its shares tumbled 15% in early buying and selling. They’ve misplaced about 28% this yr amid the corporate’s struggles with persistent weak spot in demand for its frozen potato merchandise.

Jana Companions referred to as the choice to swap the CEO for an insider “complicit in its widespread operational and strategic debacles is simply the newest stick within the eye.” The investor once more urged for a major board change or sale.

The corporate didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon Jana Companions’ assertion.

Smith, at present the chief working officer, will take over from Thomas Werner on Jan. 3, the corporate mentioned. Smith joined Lamb Weston in 2007 and have become the COO in Could 2023.

“Appears like a panicked transfer,” mentioned Jefferies analyst Rob Dickerson in a notice on the CEO change.

Jana Companions revealed a roughly 5% stake two months in the past and wrote a letter to Lamb Weston’s board this week, saying the corporate’s administration had wasted an opportunity to maintain and develop shareholder worth.

The corporate’s choice to rent internally was “stunning” and suggests the board had an in depth succession plan in place for a while, mentioned Arun Sundaram, senior fairness analyst at CFRA Analysis.

Demand for Lamb Weston’s frozen potato sides has weakened from U.S. eating places and retailers. The corporate on Thursday cited worth wars amongst fast-food chains for taking a chew out of volumes within the U.S., with shoppers usually buying and selling all the way down to smaller serving sizes.

Lamb Weston will look to additional scale back manufacturing and provide chain prices, in addition to working bills to enhance profitability, because it executes a cost-savings plan introduced in October, outgoing CEO Werner mentioned.

The corporate reduce its fiscal 2025 adjusted revenue expectations to $3.05 to $3.20 per share from $4.15 to $4.35, and lowered its annual web gross sales goal to between $6.35 billion and $6.45 billion.