Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Receives $252.83 Average Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-three analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $253.33.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on LOW shares. StockNews.com upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $245.00 to $238.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total transaction of $1,684,262.58. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at $2,334,678.06. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lowe’s Companies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tidemark LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Keener Financial Planning LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Lowe’s Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Stephens Consulting LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 93.3% during the second quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 145 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Lowe’s Companies Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE LOW opened at $260.17 on Monday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $243.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $235.40. The stock has a market cap of $148.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.90, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies has a 12 month low of $181.85 and a 12 month high of $262.49.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $23.93 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a net margin of 8.25% and a negative return on equity of 47.07%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.56 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Lowe’s Companies will post 11.93 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be paid a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.95%.

About Lowe’s Companies

Lowe's Companies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a home improvement retailer in the United States. The company offers a line of products for construction, maintenance, repair, remodeling, and decorating. It also provides home improvement products, such as appliances, seasonal and outdoor living, lawn and garden, lumber, kitchens and bath, tools, paint, millwork, hardware, flooring, rough plumbing, building materials, décor, and electrical.