Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) jumped 9.9% in early trading on Thursday and was the biggest gainer in the S&P 500 Index by a wide margin.

The Idaho-based company smashed Q4 earnings expectations and set the midpoint of its FY25 profit guidance above the consensus expectation.

While Lamb Weston (NYSE:LW) expects headwinds from soft restaurant traffic to persist, the company said it continues to see opportunities to further streamline costs while investing strategically to support customers.

"We remain on track to achieve our goal of reducing capital spending by $250 million this year compared with the prior fiscal year. In addition, we expect to deliver a further $200 million in capital spending reductions in fiscal 2026 as we complete our growth-related investments, leading to $450 million in total reductions compared to fiscal 2024," highlighted CEO Mike Smith.

Interestingly, McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD) was one of the leading gainers in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, with a 2.1% swing higher. In general, the restaurant chain giant is considered insulated from tariffs and a defensive stock that investors can take refuge in, although MCD's share price does correlate to U.S. GDP, which means it could falter if the economy weakens.