Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) Stock Price Down 0.4% After Analyst Downgrade

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)’s stock price traded down 0.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday after Gordon Haskett lowered their price target on the stock from $245.00 to $240.00. Gordon Haskett currently has a hold rating on the stock. Lowe’s Companies traded as low as $239.71 and last traded at $241.35. 228,054 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 2,525,877 shares. The stock had previously closed at $242.37.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on LOW. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. StockNews.com upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $252.96.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lowe’s Companies

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Aldebaran Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 2.7% in the second quarter. Aldebaran Financial Inc. now owns 3,865 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $852,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the second quarter valued at about $595,000. Ted Buchan & Co acquired a new stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies in the second quarter valued at about $256,000. Advisory Alpha LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 8.5% in the second quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 3,906 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $861,000 after buying an additional 306 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of Lowe’s Companies by 3.5% in the second quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 1,331 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $292,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 0.8 %

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $231.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $232.32. The firm has a market cap of $136.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.07.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $4.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.96 by $0.14. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 48.52% and a net margin of 8.46%. The firm had revenue of $23.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.56 EPS. Lowe’s Companies’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lowe’s Companies Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 24th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 24th. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.