Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (LW) vs Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?
As of 2026-09-17, LW is overvalued at $47, with a DCF intrinsic value of $27 and a margin of safety of -75%. MSFT is undervalued at $496, with an intrinsic value of $752 and a margin of safety of 34%. Of the two, MSFT has the wider margin of safety.
Rewards
- ★Free cash flow has grown at a 71.2% CAGR over the past 4 years, demonstrating strong earnings power growth.
- ★7 insider purchases over the past 12 months with a buy/sell ratio above 3:1 — a sustained pattern of insider confidence.
- ★PEG ratio of 0.78 suggests the stock is undervalued relative to its growth rate — paying less than 1x for each unit of earnings growth.
- ★Microsoft Corporation has maintained ROIC above 15% for 4 consecutive years, indicating a durable competitive advantage.
- ★Gross margin of 67.9% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
- ★Microsoft Corporation scores 84/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
Risks
- ⚠Gross margin of 20.7% is low, suggesting a competitive or commodity-like market with limited pricing power.
- ⚠FCF yield of 7.0% suggests reasonable valuation assuming continued moderate growth.
- ⚠Trailing P/E of 22.6x is 33% above the historical average of 17.0x — the stock trades at a premium to its own history.
- ⚠FCF yield of 1.8% is below 3%, meaning the market is pricing in substantial future growth to justify the current price.
- ⚠Insiders have sold $71.4M worth of stock in the past 3 months — significant insider liquidation.
Key Valuation Metrics
Learn more →Historical Fundamentals
Learn more →Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.
Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.
Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.
$1 Retained Earnings Test
Learn more →> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis
Learn more →Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth
Learn more →What growth rate is the market pricing in at $47?
The market implies +15.7% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.
Standard FCF implies a demanding +9.6%, reflecting heavy growth investment.
What growth rate is the market pricing in at $496?
The market implies +12.2% Owner Earnings growth, below historical trends — potential opportunity.
Standard FCF implies a more demanding +21.7%, reflecting heavy growth investment expected to generate future returns.
Economic Moat Score
Learn more →Narrow moat with revenue predictability as the key competitive advantage. Improving margin stability would strengthen the moat.
Wide moat driven primarily by revenue predictability. Reinvestment Efficiency is the area most vulnerable to competitive pressure.
Forensic Accounting
Learn more →M-Score Trend
M-Score Trend
Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
Ownership Breakdown
Learn more →High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
Insider Buying Activity
Learn more →Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.
Insider Selling Activity
Learn more →Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.
🎭 Mr. Market's Mood
Learn more →"Market is pessimistic — investigate whether fears are temporary or structural"
"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"
Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
⚖️ Buffett Signal
Learn more →The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.
The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.
Frequently Asked Questions: LW vs MSFT
Is Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. or Microsoft Corporation more undervalued in 2026?▼
Based on our discounted cash flow model, MSFT trades at a 34.0% margin of safety (intrinsic value $752 vs. price $496), compared to LW's -74.6% margin of safety (intrinsic $27 vs. $47).
Which stock has a wider economic moat, Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. or Microsoft Corporation?▼
MSFT scores 84/100 (Wide moat), while LW scores 46/100 (Narrow moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.
Is Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. in financial distress?▼
LW's Altman Z-Score of 2.6 places it in the Grey zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. MSFT scores 8.8 (Safe zone). The Altman Z-Score is a five-factor model that predicts insolvency within two years; scores below 1.81 indicate significant distress.
Which company has better free cash flow, Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. or Microsoft Corporation?▼
Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (LW) generates a 7.0% free cash flow yield, compared to Microsoft Corporation's 1.8%. A higher FCF yield means the business converts more of its market value into cash that can be returned to shareholders or reinvested.
Which stock has higher return on invested capital, Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. or Microsoft Corporation?▼
MSFT earns 20.7% ROIC versus LW's 8.7%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.
Which dividend is safer, Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc.'s or Microsoft Corporation's?▼
MSFT's dividend earns a safety score of 94/100 (Very Safe), compared to LW's 84/100 (Very Safe). MSFT has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.