Lamb Weston Holdings Inc (LW) Q4 2024 Earnings Report

Lamb Weston reported a difficult Q4 2024, with revenue of $1.61 billion, gross margin of 23.0%, and adjusted EBITDA of $283 million (EBITDA margin ~18.6%). Net income was $129.7 million or $0.90 per share, down sharply year‑over‑year on softer volume and mix, plus a $19–$20 million impact from a voluntary product withdrawal that weighed on margins. Management attributed much of the quarterly shortfall to executional challenges, including share losses in a competitive, capacity‑oversupplied environment and a delayed restaurant traffic rebound in North America and key international markets. On the bright side, Lamb Weston continued to execute a long‑term growth program (capacity expansions in China and Idaho, and ongoing Netherlands and Argentina projects) and is guiding for a volume‑driven recovery in fiscal 2025, aided by targeted price and trade investments, improving mix, and cost productivity. The company ended the year with solid cash generation ($316.7 million operating cash flow; $150.6 million free cash flow), a debt load of ~$3.75 billion, and net debt/Adjusted EBITDA of 2.7x, highlighting balance sheet strength even as near‑term results remain pressured. Management projects a FY2025 revenue of $6.6–$6.8 billion (0%–3% normalized growth after ERP transition effects), Adjusted EBITDA of $1.38–$1.48 billion, and diluted EPS of $4.35–$4.85, underscoring a plan to restore sales momentum through volume, price/mix discipline, and efficiency gains.