Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-five research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fifteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $277.92.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $229.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Melius Research assumed coverage on Lowe’s Companies in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $290.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $255.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $230.00 to $305.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th.

Lowe’s Companies Price Performance

Shares of Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $272.43 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $270.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $246.13. Lowe’s Companies has a fifty-two week low of $196.32 and a fifty-two week high of $287.01. The company has a market cap of $154.55 billion, a PE ratio of 22.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.10.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other 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 shares were sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total transaction of $1,684,262.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares in the company, valued at $2,334,678.06. The trade was a 41.91 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Quonta D. Vance sold 7,198 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.37, for a total transaction of $1,974,915.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 16,703 shares in the company, valued at $4,582,802.11. This represents a 30.12 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 19,697 shares of company stock worth $5,214,586. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lowe’s Companies

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LOW. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 10.2% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 26,010,730 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $7,045,006,000 after acquiring an additional 2,399,897 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 1,889.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,134,969 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $578,256,000 after purchasing an additional 2,027,668 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 20,275.6% in the 2nd quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 1,205,014 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $2,657,000 after buying an additional 1,199,100 shares during the period. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 387.7% in the 3rd quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 811,374 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $219,761,000 after buying an additional 645,017 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 170.5% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 735,633 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $162,178,000 after buying an additional 463,645 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Company Profile

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.