Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) Trading Down 0.1%

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)’s share price was down 0.1% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $255.55 and last traded at $256.38. Approximately 151,523 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 94% from the average daily volume of 2,474,986 shares. The stock had previously closed at $256.72.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $272.00 to $270.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Telsey Advisory Group restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $230.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $252.83.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average of $241.71 and a 200 day moving average of $234.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $146.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.10.

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

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be given a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.79%. This is a positive change from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lowe’s Companies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Drive Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 2.2% during the second quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,894 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $418,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the period. Crown Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. Crown Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,051 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $232,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Lowe’s Companies by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,813 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.2% during the second quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC now owns 2,062 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $454,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 1,331 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $292,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

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.