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

Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-four analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $265.63.

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group increased their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 21st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $290.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $240.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. StockNews.com raised shares of Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, 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 price objective for the company.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

Lowe’s Companies stock opened at $273.22 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $155.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.10. The business’s fifty day moving average is $251.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $237.39. Lowe’s Companies has a 52 week low of $181.85 and a 52 week high of $278.10.

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

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 23rd. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.68%. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,334,678.06. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CAO Dan Clayton Griggs, Jr. sold 6,769 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $248.82, for a total value of $1,684,262.58. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 9,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,334,678.06. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Margrethe R. Vagell sold 5,730 shares of Lowe’s Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.45, for a total value of $1,555,408.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,586,940.30. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Lowe’s Companies

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of LOW. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 53,693,630 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $13,677,378,000 after buying an additional 2,674,372 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC lifted its position in 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 worth $2,657,000 after buying an additional 1,199,100 shares during the last quarter. M&G Plc bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $217,995,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 36.6% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,840,704 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $468,884,000 after buying an additional 493,180 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in 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 worth $162,178,000 after buying an additional 463,645 shares during 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.