Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-two analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $252.83.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on LOW. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Lowe’s Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. UBS Group lifted their target price 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. DA Davidson lowered their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $270.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $265.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Lowe’s Companies from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Lowe’s Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,880 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,086,000 after buying an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP raised its position in Lowe’s Companies by 824.6% in the 4th quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP now owns 15,339 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock valued at $3,414,000 after purchasing an additional 13,680 shares during the last quarter. Bamco Inc. NY boosted its stake in Lowe’s Companies by 10.3% during the 1st quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 216,958 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $55,266,000 after purchasing an additional 20,181 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd grew its position in Lowe’s Companies by 655.9% during the 1st quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 6,304 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $1,606,000 after purchasing an additional 5,470 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 17 Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Lowe’s Companies in the first quarter valued at $1,368,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.06% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Performance

NYSE LOW opened at $255.41 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $240.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $234.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $144.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.10. Lowe’s Companies has a fifty-two week low of $181.85 and a fifty-two week high of $262.49.

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

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This is a boost from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.15. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 23rd. Lowe’s Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.